BROMSGROVE is one of the last strongholds in Britain for an endangered mammal that was once a common sight along stream and canal banks.

A survey carried out by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust for Bromsgrove District Council has revealed that water voles are present in nine of the 21 sites surveyed within the town centre area.

The authority is keen to identify local vole populations and any likely threats to them.

Armed with the information steps can now be taken to enhance and create ideal habitats to encourage voles to flourish.

Their most serious threat is isolation from each other and the proliferation of wild mink.

If a colony is destroyed it is difficult for another to become established in that spot.

According to a spokesman for the trust the day may not be far off when voles become extinct. He said Bromsgrove is almost the only area in the county where vole populations have not been wiped out.

Foxes, herons and cats are among their main foes, but mink is their chief enemy.

According to the spokesman the reason for Bromsgrove's apparent healthy numbers is that it has relatively few mink.

Voles favour waterside retreats that are fringed with lush growth to provide food and cover.

He added the trust is appreciative of the council's support and urged other local authorities to follow Bromsgrove's example.

The council's assistant environmental strategy officer, Richard Johnson, said during the past 15 years water voles had suffered the greatest decline of any species in the country.

He added the council is playing its part by cutting down on the number of times it trims growth alongside water.