A GROUP of cave rescuers will be going batty tomorrow when they carry out an exercise in a disused train tunnel that is home to a rare colony of bats.
The group plans to use the Old Colwall Tunnel, Malvern, for a rescue exercise.
The disused tunnel has become home to hundreds of Lesser Horseshoe Bats since it was closed in 1926.
The cave rescue exercise has been timed to avoid the colony's hibernation season, which usually takes place between October and April.
Different
Using the Old Colwall Tunnel for the rescue exercise was the idea of Craig Cameron, a supervisor with Railtrack contractor GTRM, and a member of the Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group.
The tunnel is owned and maintained by Railtrack.
"Craig thought the tunnel would provide something different for the group and widen their experience of working in other underground environments," said Phil Marshall, structures maintenance engineer for Railtrack.
David Heaver, rivers and species officer with English Nature, said the tunnel was part of the Malvern Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest.
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