The Times reports they are the grassroots environmentalists. Volunteers are collecting thousands of toads and frogs in buckets and placing them near rivers in a bid to save them from cars and trucks thundering along Scotland’s roads.

Dozens of new “toad patrols” are being set up to help amphibians avoid being squashed flat as numbers decline. It is estimated 20 tonnes of toads a year are crushed by cars and lorries as they attempt to reach their breeding sites around the UK. Experts say the patrols’ efforts are saving about 80,000 toads annually.