Water voles were found during field surveys at Manor Park in Runcorn. As the construction of an industrial park was to result in the loss of ditches used as habitat by water vole, a mitigation strategy was prepared by TEP for the client, English Partnerships.
A network of new ditches was created around the new industrial units and voles were moved from ditches that were to be lost. This involved the strimming of vegetation to encourage voles to move, coupled with a translocation scheme.
Monitoring of the new ditches in subsequent years has confirmed that the water vole population has flourished.