A council, ridiculed after its newly announced wildlife policy was announced, has said the intent of the declaration had been blown out of all proportion.
Pest controllers claimed Bradford on Avon could be overrun if they weren’t allowed to use methods including traps and poison.
Deputy mayor Alex Kay said: “The intent is to protect wildlife where we can. That does not mean to have wildlife causing any kind of harm or problem. We want to try and encourage people not to use slug pellets and kill thrushes and hedgehogs.”
Mr Kay added: “I think the policy has been misinterpreted and obviously we have a duty of care to ensure public spaces and town council owned spaces are managed properly, which would include making sure there’s no infestation.
“But it also means we want to make sure we’re not using chemicals which are harmful to us and wildlife, where there is no need to use such things.”