Give swifts a home

Thousands of new homes for Fareham residents could also provide nests for migratory swifts, say Lib Dem Councillors Chrissie Bainbridge and Paul Nother.

The beautiful birds, which fly from Africa to the UK each year, have lost 50 per cent of their nesting sites in 25 years,say the RSPB.

Fareham Council asks builders to include swift bricks in planning applications, to provide nesting sites - but only for 20 per cent of new homes.

Portchester Lib Dem Councillor Paul Nother has called for the bricks to be included in 75 per cent or even 100 per cent of new homes.

And at another planning meeting Chrissie Bainbridge asked for swift brciks in every house. Chrissie said: "They're cheap as chiips. Builders say they don't think about it till someone asks, and then they say 'yeah, we can  do that'."

Paul Nother said: "We have to build the housses, but we also need to provide homes for the wildlife."