Drakes Drum slow worm colony to move to a new home
A colony of almost 200 slow worms are to be moved from the site of a former pub in Worcestershire.
Worcester Community Housing uncovered the colony on the site of the former Drakes Drum pub in Worcester, where it plans to build new homes. Director Bill Tebay said: "We knew that there were slow worms on the site and had already agreed to rehouse them, but we had no idea of the scale." The worms will be moved to two specially constructed refuges. Slow worms are lizards that can often be found in long grass and other damp environments. They have protected status in the UK and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is illegal to intentionally kill or injure them. Worcester Community Housing is a not-for-profit company set up in 2004 to take over the ownership and management of Worcester City Council's rented homes.