28400/2A COLONY of bats caused a stir at a Trowbridge home as a mother-of-three was forced to overcome her fear of the winged mammals or face prosecution.

Caroline Lincoln, 44, was stunned when up to 50 bats flew out of her roof during a family barbecue.

Calling in experts from English Nature, Mrs Lincoln, of Chantry Gardens, Southwick, was told the Pipistrelle colony were protected by law and any attempt to remove them could end in a jail term.

Since learning about the UK's smallest bat, Miss Lincoln said she has undergone a dramatic change of heart and is looking forward to sharing her home with the colony until autumn.

"I saw a lot of bats flying around and thought it was unusual. Then I realised they were all coming from my roof," she said. "I was starting to panic as I was worried about damage and mess in the attic. You get this image of them coming into your house, like in horror films.

"I didn't even know they were a protected species. I was surprised when the chap said I could have gone to prison if I had tried to move them."

Miss Lincoln said: "My house is close to trees, which can give the bats access to food. I am not allowed to replace my fascias until English Nature has returned and given me the all-clear. This could be towards September or October but sometimes bat colonies can decide to leave all of a sudden.

"They are very chatty, you can hear them talking all the time. I think they are quite attractive little creatures."

Bat Facts

Pippistrelle bats vary in colour from medium to dark brown and one bat can eat up to 3,000 insects a night.

Colony sizes can be up to 1,000, with more than half of known roosts in buildings aged 30-years or more.

The average lifespan for a Pipistrelle is 16-years.

Each female has on average one baby, sometimes twins, from mid June to early July.