NATURE lovers are being urged to take part in a wildlife survey along West Midlands canals to highlight numbers of threatened species of bat.

British Waterways, which manages Britain’s canals network, says the UK’s bat population which has plummeted since the 1950s.

The organisation, which cares for eight canals and two fisheries in the West Midlands, also urged families to spot a wide range of species – including mammals reptiles and insects – for its annual survey.

A spokesman for British Waterways said canals particularly in heavily-industrialised areas like Birmingham and the Black Country provided valuable links between isolated areas of food-rich undeveloped land where bats can roost.

Dr Mark Robinson, British Waterways’ national ecology manager, said: “Intensive use of land has meant that vast areas of untouched habitat, rich in thousands of different species of plant and animal have been reduced in size and isolated. The passage between these ‘islands’ has become an exhausting journey for the animals. Our 200-year-old bridges, aqueducts and tunnels provide ideal nooks and crannies for bats to roost in, while the plant-rich channels ensure plenty of insects, which are bats’ only source of food.”

People are urged to spot species including kingfisher, grey wagtail, and barn owl. To take part visit www.waterscape.com