THE Environment Agency (EA) was forced to temporarily halt work on Kendal’s multi-million-pound flood scheme amid claims the project was disturbing nesting birds.

Campaigners battling for a rethink of the divisive project say work that took place at Sandy Bottoms last week did so in close proximity to kingfisher and sand martin burrows.

After concerns were raised, work was paused so that, says the EA, an ecologist could visit the area.

“An ecologist surveyed the site on April 22 and found no evidence of nesting birds,” said Stewart Mounsey, EA flood risk manager for Cumbria.

However, flood action group Save the Heart of Kendal subsequently posted photos to social media of sand martins and a kingfisher, saying the photos were taken on Sunday by a photographer local to Kendal.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal in Britain to disturb birds during nesting season.

Karen Lloyd, researcher at Lancaster University and author, said she was ‘not impressed’ by the EA’s response to the situation.

“What does it matter if they stopped work? Disturbance had already happened,” she said.

“What is this - post-op rationalisation?

“Why are they sending a specialist ecologist after the event, why wasn’t the specialist ecologist sent before the work was done?”

She accused the EA of ‘arrogance’ and ‘completely irresponsible’ behaviour, saying: “If you’re drilling nearby, of course that’s going to put the birds off, of course there’s disturbance.

“For all we know it could have caused the burrows to collapse.”

She said the week before the work was done at Sandy Bottoms she saw sand martins going into their burrows.

The EA says that, before any work on the flood scheme began, surveys of the areas affected were undertaken.

Stewart Mounsey, of the EA, told the Gazette: “Following reports that ground investigations works for the new Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme were potentially disturbing nesting birds, work was stopped immediately to allow a specialist ecologist to visit the area.

“We appreciate the concern of local residents and thank them for raising these with us. All work has been checked against the relevant protocols and has since concluded in this location.”

In a letter sent to Ms Lloyd, Mr Mounsey said the EA took the environmental aspects of its work ‘seriously’.

He said work on Kendal’s flood scheme had now moved on to other sites further away from Sandy Bottoms.