A road in Richmond is to be closed to traffic from next week until the end of March to allow toads to cross the road and get to their annual breeding ground

The road traffic order is placed on a 400m stretch of Church Road in Ham – a migratory route used by the toads each year – to eliminate the risk of accidents caused by cars.

Local volunteers will be on hand to maintain a “toad patrol” during the migration period to prevent the toads falling into drains, which is the main cause of death when the road is closed.