Adders, viviparous lizards, slow worms and grass snakes continue to thrive in Gloucestershire, thanks to the work of the A417 Missing Link team.

In total, the project team has safely relocated more than 2,000 reptiles while construction on the huge project is underway.

The team has been continuing to collect data on all of the reptiles and carrying out further research in particular on adders, making note of their sex, scale patterns, weight and breeding condition.

In 2023, 10 adders were fitted with a radio tag post-hibernation to enable monitoring of their movements at receptor sites.

The adders were tracked over a period of approximately 65 days, until the tags were naturally shed. This tracking effort provided valuable insight into individual movement patterns during the breeding season and also led to the discovery of previously unrecorded reptiles.

Initially, released adult adders remained close to the release site, but post-breeding, many dispersed between 100 and 300 metres. Some females, however, continued to stay near the release area. Encouragingly, newborn adders were found at all sites later in 2023 and into 2024.

Over the next five to 10 years, a clearer and more accurate picture of population survivorship and site expansion is expected to emerge. The goal is to establish robust, well-distributed populations with a varied age structure across all species.

Natasha James, senior ecologist for Kier, said: "We've undertaken an enormous amount of ecological and environmental work throughout construction, and local specialists have been hugely helpful in achieving this.

"We've been particularly diligent with the reptile translocation on the A417 Missing Link scheme - and it's really pleasing to see that the reptiles have settled into their homes and continue to thrive.

"The work will maintain populations of protected species in the area and help to enhance biodiversity once the construction work is completed. The data we collect will continue to give us an insight into reptiles and their behaviours and hopefully go on to inform best practice guidance for future schemes."

Celine Acard, senior project manager for the A417 scheme, said: "We're really proud of the work we've undertaken to protect the ecology and environment in the area, and the reptile relocation and data collection work is a glowing example of this.

"The design of the road has been carried out in the most sympathetic way for local people, the travelling public, wildlife and the environment.

"As a landscape-led scheme, we have worked hard to enhance habitats in keeping with the sensitive Cotswolds environment and look forward to sharing more of our work as construction progresses."