RED SQUIRRELS crossing the busy A933 near Arbroath will no longer have to dodge the traffic thanks to a new rope bridge slung high across the road.

The squirrel bridge, between mature trees near Woodside House, Rosely, aims to cut the number of squirrels killed.

The soft polypropylene rope, is 19 metres long and will be set up by Angus Council staff nine metres above the road today.

Susan Matthewson, of the Arbroath Squirrel Preservation Society, said, “We are delighted that the council has taken this step to protect the squirrels in the area.

“There are other rope bridges in Scotland which have proved successful in cutting the number of road deaths amongst squirrels and we are looking forward to seeing fewer casualties in the Arbroath area in the future.”

A council spokeswoman said, “The red squirrel is a species whose population is steadily declining and research suggests that if the current rate of decline continues, the red squirrel could be extinct on mainland Britain within 20 years.

“Around three-quarters of the British population of red squirrels are in Scotland, and there is a known population of them in the area where we are positioning the bridge.”