Team Wilder Resource: Reporting Wildlife Concerns

Here at Avon Wildlife Trust we work to ensure that nature and people thrive together across the regions of North Somerset, Bristol City, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset.  We are first and foremost a charity, and we often work in partnership with each of these councils in varying capacities, sometimes on combined projects, community outreach, and sometimes by managing reserves on their behalf. Through the West of England Nature Partnership we also work collaboratively to support strategic plans for nature’s recovery.

As a Wildlife Trust, our priority is ensuring that the wildlife across our region is protected and promoted in harmony with people, and the relevant laws that protect it are respected. However, we do not have any power to enforce laws or regulations of any kind. There are different authorities across our region that are responsible for enforcing various issues, and we have listed below the various responsible bodies to try and help you take your concerns to the right place.

Below we cover the following concerns:

1. General information
2. Pollution incidents
3. Bee swarms
4. Local Wildlife Hospitals
5. Bat Rescue
6. Reporting Wildlife Crimes
7. Raising concerns over nature preservation to councils
8. Reporting planning permission breaches

1. General information is available from The Wildlife Trusts here:

Wildlife concerns and advice

Wildlife crime

Planning - how to comment on planning developments or Avon Planning related issues

Wildlife Surveys – Contact Wild Service 

2. Reporting Pollution Incidents

To report an incident such as fly tipping or chemical spillage:

• contact the Environmental Agency on their hotline 0800 80 70 60
•  or report the environmental incident on the gov website.

3. Bees and Swarms

Please contact your local beekeeping association. 

Find your local branch of the Avon Beekeepers

4. Wildlife Hospitals

There are specialist local wildlife rescue groups that may be able to help with injured, sick and orphaned wildlife, see the list below:

Secret World Wildlife Rescue

 West Hatch Wildlife Centre 

RSPCA Oak & Furrows 

Wildlife & Badger Care

HelpWildlife.co.uk directory is a searchable directory of over 600 wildlife rescue organisations and independent rescuers across the UK. To search for a wildlife rescue near you, enter your location and click search. You’ll be shown a map and list of rescues within 40 miles. is a searchable directory of over 600 wildlife rescue organisations and independent rescuers across the UK. To search for a wildlife rescue near you, enter your location and click search. You’ll be shown a map and list of rescues within 40 miles.

5. Bat Rescue

Bristol Bat Rescue is based in Fishponds, and you can contact them on 07754 699 836. The National Bat Helpline also operates nationally, and can help if you have found a bat in need of rescue, or reporting a crime against bats or their roosts. They will also answer questions about bats and their protection.

Bat rescue FAQs 

6. Reporting Wildlife Crimes

In the Avon area, we have a specialist dedicated policing unit to investigate and act on breaches of wildlife crime laws. If you have witnessed a wildlife crime, such as intentional destruction of a badger sett, birds nests, or bat roosts, or hunting with dogs, you can make a report by calling 999 or going to:

Report wildlife crime | Avon and Somerset Police to learn more.

Try and record images or videos of the incident, recording any identifying features of the perpetrators and evidence such as broken nests or damage to habitats.

Avon and Somerset Police also say the following on their website:

"Do not approach those taking part in this activity and do not put yourself at risk, but please try and obtain as much information as possible.

• Location – consider WHAT3WORDS
• Any vehicles involved – type, colour
• How many people are involved, any descriptions
• Dogs or weapons involved
• Any photos or video evidence would be helpful.''

If you are confused over whether or not an issue qualifies as a crime, contact them anyway and they will be able to clarify the nature of the issue a legal offence or not.

7. Raising concerns over nature preservation with local councils

A really common concern we see at Avon Wildlife Trust is concern over rare plants being cut, inappropriate vegetation management near protected species, or wishes to change mowing regimes in parks where there are nature groups managing the land. This is usually something to be taken to the parks department of each council, but sometimes the green space in question is managed by a different team, such as cemeteries or housing. All four local authorities have declared an ecological emergency and are developing strategies for   nature friendly land management. If the concern is in a particular park, search online for a 'Friends of' group first (i.e. google Friends of Oldbury Court Estate), as they will likely have some part in the management of the area, or already be on the case. You can also report issues across the whole of Avon on:

FixMyStreet

Failing this, the following routes are recommended:

Bristol City Council

• Raise a concern or flag a problem with parks maintenance
• Suggest an improvement to a park or green space

BANES

• You can learn more about what BANES is doing to look after their green spaces
• To report issues to the council, BANES requests that citizens use FixMyStreet (bathnes.gov.uk)

North Somerset

• You can find a range of issue types to report here
• Or see the specific form for parks and woodlands 

South Gloucestershire

• If the issue is on council land: use the report a problem with an open space form
• If it is on private land: call 01454 868000 or email streetcare@southglos.gov.uk
• Another way to contact South Gloucestershire Council is through their Community Spaces Team on 01454 868000 or via their HIVE email address; communityspaces@southglos.gov.uk

8. Planning permission breaches

Planning permission is granted with set terms and conditions for the developer and land owner to follow in order to be compliant with legislation. These terms and conditions can be viewed by anyone at any time, via the planning portal. If you have concerns that a development or property owner is not following the terms of their planning permission, you are able to flag this to planning enforcement, who will investigate. Unlike wildlife crime, which is served by one team across Avon, each devolved county has its own planning team, with its own planning enforcement process. Below are links to the relevant places to read about planning breaches and report to the right authority team.

Be aware that most planning enforcement teams are unable to investigate the following:

• Neighbourly disputes
• Land boundaries or ownership disputes
• Disputes under the Party Wall Act
• Smells, noise and pollution
• Fly-tipping
• Use of development on highways or pavements
• Dangerous structures

These are dealt with by other council teams which can be located on the council websites. If you have persistent problems with any of these issues, we advise contacting Citizens Advice, or a solicitor. Some work on properties is classed as permitted development, and so does not need planning permission. There are further details of this on the Planning Portal.

With all planning breaches, it is important to make sure the issue is an actual breach of the permitted works. The websites and/or planning portals for each local planning authority have information to help you work out if the issue is a breach or not, so go to the relevant authority website listed below before filing a complaint.

Avon Wildlife Trust does not currently have the capacity  to comment on details of individual cases, but will publicly respond to large developments in areas of nature conservation value where protected wildlife or valuable habitats are at risk, such as that at Yew Tree Farm. We also promote citizen voices by encouraging people to contact MP’s, comment on applications, and form local action groups. You can read more about our stance on development here

How we stand up for wildlife 

Wildlife planning and development

The below links should help direct you to the right contact details, forms or email addresses to escalate a planning related concern to your local planning authority. Please note, reporting a planning breach initiates a legal process that requires evidence. Commenting on a planning application is something you can do before planning is granted, and your comments will be reviewed by the statutory authority.

Bristol City Council

• Report a breach of planning rules
• Comment on a planning application

BANES

• Report something to Planning Enforcement
• View and comment on current planning applications
• BANES council has the following statement on their website: "You should search our  Planning Register, to check if the works you are concerned about are already the subject of a planning application. We also advise you to read about Planning Enforcement policy and implementation, before submitting a report."

North Somerset

• Report a breach of planning
• Local enforcement plan 2022

South Gloucestershire

• Check and report a planning breach
• Alternatively you can email planningenforcement@southglos.gov.uk