BAT IT LIKE BECKHAM..

Star must protect wildlife as part of country pile plan

- BY JEREMY ARMSTRONG

HE WAS one of the most talented midfielders of his generation but now David Beckham is switching to defence ... of animals.

The ex-England captain, 50, is installing a range of protection measures for wildlife at his country estate.

Becks was given planning permission to build an access road on condition that he put in bird and bat boxes, bug hotels and hedgehog houses.

The former Manchester United star and wife Victoria's new 250-yard driveway will be screened by 130ft trees. The application was opposed by three people living near the couple's Cotswolds mansion.

One local strongly objected to the secondary access to the Grade II-listed Beckham estate, which boasts a tennis court, treehouse, pond and kitchen garden.