Badger Setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. It’s an offence to intentionally or recklessly interfere with a badger sett or to knowingly cause or permit a badger sett to be interfered with (Section 3 Protection of Badger Act), unless done under licence and in full compliance with licence conditions.
Interference could include:
- Blocking or obstruction of sett entrances i.e. with soil or other debris
- Damage to tunnels or chambers from digging or heavy machinery
- Complete destruction of the sett
- Disturbance of a badger in the sett, even if there’s no damage to the sett itself
A protection zone of 30m from the nearest sett entrance is usually suggested as a guideline to avoid damage or disturbance to the badgers and their sett.
Work carried out in the vicinity of a badger sett, which may impact on that sett, may require a licence from Natural England, or Natural Resources Wales to interfere with the sett. Sett interference without a licence, or where work doesn’t comply with the strict terms or the licence, may be a criminal offence.