The new security door with an entry slot for bats. Pictured are, from left, Southern Water area supply manager David Nye, Technover business development manager Jerry Dawson and Graham Street, of the Isle of Wight Bat Hospital and IW Consultancy.
THE cat flap might be well known, but Southern Water has invented a version designed to solve a more unusual problem.
The bat flap, as it has been dubbed by the water company, was cut into a set of new doors leading to a disused borehole at Cowleaze, near Shanklin, so bats could get in an out of the tunnels.
Dating back to the 1800s, the tunnels once formed part of a spring water collection system that supplied Shanklin.
They are no longer used but Southern Water is still responsible for them and had the metal doors created by specialist company Technocover after vandals repeatedly attacked their wooden predecessors.
Isle of Wight Bat Hospital founder Graham Street was consulted on the project and said: “After visiting the site, I assessed the tunnels would be an ideal hibernation or roost location for most woodland bats and advised the provision of bat access in the replacement doors.”
Species likely to be found in the tunnels include Daubenton’s, Natterer’s, Whiskered and Brandt’s bats.
Reporter: ross.findon@iwcp.co.uk