A pre-session flap in East Renfrewshire where bats have been found not in a belfry but in Auchenback primary, Barrhead.
In June, the presence of two pipistrels had been reported by the school, but last week the environmental health department found that bats know their multiplication - more than 1,000 were inhabiting the roof space.
The council had to consult Sottish Natural Heritage, surely a first in Barrhead, and take advice on the effects of bat fleas and droppings. The colony could not be expelled, only left suspended.
Fortunately, the school has only a 77 per cent occupancy rate. So pupils and pipistrels may be able to coexist. One lot, presumably the bats, are described as “a nuisance but not hazardous.”
