Work has restarted on a £5.9 million scheme to tackle flooding issues and improve safety on the M5 near Wellington.
The project was put on hold in February following the discovery of dormice.
Jonathan Hill, National Highways Route Manager, said: “In line with environmental regulations, we paused the drainage scheme in early February after dormice habitats and nesting birds were identified on the construction site.
“Since obtaining a licence from Natural England to remove the dormice habitats, we have since resumed work on the drainage scheme and are due to complete the work by early August.”
A spokesperson for National Highways added: “After obtaining a licence from Natural England and under ecological supervision, a dormouse nest was found and left in situ, while two blackbird nests and a jay’s nest were cordoned and protected until the chicks fledged and work could resume.
“The Natural England licence allows our ecology teams to move and relocate habitats but the nest found in May didn’t need to be moved, and to avoid any disturbance, it was left in situ and work relocated around it when the scheme resumed.
“As for the bird nests, National Highways had to wait for the chicks to fledge before work could resume in that area.”
Updates on the scheme can be found at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-west/south-west-maintenance-schemes/