BATS and reptiles living in the Langmoor Gardens in Lyme Regis are being moved out by the district council in preparation for next year's coastal protection works. Specially-qualified experts have been employed by the council to move the creatures, which are protected by law, to safer habitats. In January next year the council will fell 90 trees from the gardens, providing it gets the relevant planning permissions, as part of the vital coast protection scheme, which is due to start in earnest in April. Many of the trees provide a roosting ground for bats and a range of British reptiles, including lizards, snakes and slow-worms, which live in the under growth surrounding them. West Dorset District Council engineer Geoff Davis said because the animals are protected, the council is doing all it can to ensure there aren't any casualties when the trees are felled next year. He said: "Bat workers climb the trees and look in to the holes with mirrors. "Then they simply block up the holes using polystyrene foam so that they can't get in." He said large mats had been laid down by reptile experts, which attracted slow- worms and snakes. These were checked on a regular basis and the animals were re-located to somewhere safe. Mr Davis said most of the trees being felled were not 'magnificent specimens' or of great value. He said: "We have designed the scheme so that where there are great specimens, like large oaks, they will remain in place." He said the roots of the felled trees would remain in the ground for some time after they had been felled, in order to provide some ground stability until the main works started. He said hundreds of new trees, includ ing a woodland walk, would be planted as part of the finished scheme. Mr Davis said trees were a help to the scheme in some ways, because they help hold shallow soil together and drew water out of the ground, but, he added, they could also be incredibly heavy and could cause problems.