PROTESTERS who battled but failed to get an "unsightly" aluminium fence removed near a historic railway viaduct in Uppermill are set to commission their own bat survey.

Residents and local councillors behind a near 500-name petition fear the work carried out to fell trees and construct the fence may have disturbed the bats, known to have nested in cracks in the walls of the 170-year-old viaduct in Den Lane.

Network Rail bosses told the Friends of Saddleworth protest group last month that they would not remove the fence they put up in spring for safety reasons.

However, the focus has now switched to the large scale tree felling which preceded the placing of the fence, and the possibility that bats have been affected.

An ecological survey by Network Rail carried out ahead of the work stated that there were no “red flag” species – which include bats - in the area.

But the report seen by The Oldham Times, makes no mention of the nearby viaduct, where residents say bats were known to nest.

Meanwhile, Oldham Council, which has no planning powers relating to the new fence because it is “permitted development”, said it had asked Greater Manchester Ecological Unit, based at Tameside, to investigate bat disturbance issues.

GMEU replied: “We do have records of bat activity from this area but they could equally be from along the (nearby) canal as Den Lane.

“One does, however, state road casualty and you would expect to find bats flying along this sort of habitat.”

It said the trees along the rail embankment which were removed by Network Rail were too young to provide any significant bat roosting potential.

Now, the protesters along with the Saddleworth and Lees District Executive, which includes local councillors Graham Sheldon and former Oldham mayor Derek Heffernan, are set to commission their own bat survey.

Both Cllr Sheldon and Cllr Heffernan are also members of the Friends of Saddleworth group.

Cllr Sheldon said: “It seems pretty clear, no-one did a thorough enough bat survey before this work went ahead, so we will do it ourselves.

“A property survey should've taken place when there were so many trees present, some of which were 50 years old.

"From what the residents in the area tell me, there are fewer viewings of bats - they can usually be seen at dusk - that there was before the work took place. In my opinion they have been disturbed, but we'll have to have a proper survey to find out.

"I suspect the surveys that have taken place so far have been done by someone looking at a map, and not actually visiting the area, which is not satisfactory."

Natural England is the public body, sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It is an advisory body which also administers licences following bat surveys. If bats are present, a “mitigation licence” is required before they can be moved, ahead of any building work.

A spokesman said: “If bats have been disturbed without a licence, it is a potential wildlife crime. If anyone suspects this has happened, they should contact the police and ask to speak to the wildlife crime officer, after which proceedings can be started.” The Oldham Times has contacted Network Rail for comment.