EA moving 55 voles at £2,000 each!

WE ARE surely all aware of the dreadful flooding of the Somerset Levels, brought about to a large extent by the failure of the Environmental Agency to dredge the rivers that drain the Levels, but work cannot be completed until the water voles are first moved.

It all started with a £86,000 wildlife survey that was carried out to first locate the voles that were trapped within a five miles section of a river, with 55 of the animals being eventually discovered.

A further £24,000

The 55 are being moved to an over-wintering facility in Cornwall that will cost a further £24,000 the Agency revealed.

Altogether this makes a total of £110,000, meaning that each vole will cost exactly £2,000 to move!

As can be expected, many living on the Somerset Levels who were caught in the floods are aghast at such an amount being spent,believing the money could have financed better dredging to safeguard their homes, and that the water voles would have been quite capable of looking after themselves.