Getting on with the neighbours

WHEN you drive along the A1 near the Metro-Centre, you probably don't realise what could be running around below the road.
The cars have the dual carriageway at their disposal. But in a ditch underneath the flyover lies the A1 for otters - the path they take from the River Tyne to their breeding ground at Shibdon Pond in Blaydon, Gateshead.

A patch of land running alongside this small stream was unoccupied for years. But now it is the home to what will be the UK's largest autoclaving plant, run by Graphite Resources.
Once up and running later this year, the £50m Derwenthaugh EcoParc will treat 320,000 tonnes of rubbish, turning it into a useful product and prevent it going to landfill.
Huge autoclaves will sterilise ordinary black bag household waste, using steam, at temperatures of up to 160C. The idea is that the product from the process can be used for things such as building materials or to produce biofuel for vehicles, rather than being sent to landfill.

Bosses at Graphite Resources are confident the plant will recycle 80% of waste it receives, which could allow councils to dodge hefty fines for putting rubbish into landfill.
Work on the site started in May 2008 and from the start Graphite bosses were keen to make sure their activities did not harm the otters living nearby. So they got in touch with Northumberland Wildlife Trust to find out what they could do.

Together they constructed a special fence sunk into the ground, which allows the otters to go about their business while work continues at the autoclaving plant.

William Thompson, director of Graphite Resources said: "From the outset, we wanted our site to work in harmony with nature and the surrounding environment. Great care was taken at the planning stages to cater for otters which use the drainage ditch at the eastern boundary of the site.

"Special fencing was erected at the outset, and is maintained to allow industry and ecology to co-exist."

Before the chain mail fence was closed up, trust officer Kevin O'Hara camped overnight in the ditch bordering the site to look out for otters and check there was none trapped on the site. He said:

"The otters breed in Shibdon Pond and the only way they can get in and out is via this ditch which runs under the A1, past Graphite Resources, and crosses the railway line, under the bypass, across the grass and into the River Tyne.

"There was clear evidence that animals were getting under the fence around the site, which had been neglected for quite some time, and using the quiet areas to rest. We wanted to make sure they didn't get on to the site while work was being carried out very close to the watercourse. We didn't want them to get in the way.

"So we created this fence which has been dug into the ground. It has been a big success. The otters are still using the ditch, but they?re protected from the site. The company have been very up front about their development and their wish to negate any problems it might cause for the environment. It shows the two can work side by side with just a little bit of give and take. It's not a case of stopping development, but of development companies taking a step back and acknowledging the role they have to play. Not every developer is as good as Graphite and wildlife can take the impact."

Otters are protected by UK and EU laws because populations can be threatened by human activity. Legal protection requires that due attention is paid to the presence of otters and that appropriate actions are taken to safeguard the places they use for shelter or protection or breeding.
Deliberate capturing, disturbing, injuring or killing of an otter is prohibited, as is damaging or destroying a breeding site or resting place.
The laws have helped the otter to thrive once more in the UK. Kevin said:
"The otter has made a fantastic comeback. We've even found otter poo outside the Pitcher and Piano in Newcastle. Ten years ago you would never have believed that."

The creatures are more likely to be active at night as they try to avoid people. During the day they will also rest above ground in vegetation, creating flattened areas which are sometimes called couches. Otters do come out in daylight, but usually spend days resting in their holt, a burrow they make in a river bank, drain, or pile of rocks.

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