Conservation rules slow Norfolk roadworks to snail’s pace
Snails with legally protected status could delay a road scheme by five years as a project to rehome them is kept under observation.
Ditches alongside a section of the A47 in Norfolk are a habitat for little whirlpool ramshorn snails, whose shells measure just a few millimetres in diameter.
The rare freshwater species is protected under the EU habitats and species directive. Any significant work to the section of the A47 between Acle and Great Yarmouth, including erecting safety barriers, is likely to disturb the snails and therefore needs a licence. This requires demonstration that “favourable conservation status” of…
