Bats

Bat

There are 17 species of bats found in England. Bats use buildings amongst other places to roost, bats are not know to cause any damage or problems to property whilst nesting.

Bats and the law

Bats are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1982, this is due to the declining population of species in the past decade.

It is a criminal offence to injure, kill or deliberately capture a bat, to disturb a roosting bat or a group of bats. It is also an offence to possess a bat whether it be dead or alive or any part of the bat, to destroy or damage a roost of a bat or to intentionally obstruct access to a bat roost.

Further information

Exeter City Council does not offer a pest control service for bats as they are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1982, any further advice on dealing with them will need to be referred to Natural England - Bats.