Work halted over concerns nests are being 'boarded up'

WORK has been temporarily halted on homes on a County Durham housing estate after concerns were raised that bird nesting sites were being boarded up during roofing work.

- DANIEL HALL

Plastic boards that prevent birds from nesting have been fitted to the eaves of many houses on the Bridgehill Estate in Consett, which is home to one of the North East's largest colonies of swifts.

The red-listed species arrive from Africa each summer to raise their young in the UK, but their global numbers have declined dramatically, largely due to loss of nesting sites. But for residents on the Bridgehill Estate, the birds are a constant companion in the warmer weather.