IS something happening to our toads? That is the question being asked of wildlife experts in Dorset and the New Forest.

Teresa Baker organises the annual Ringwood Toad Patrol to help the amphibians cross the Gorley Road to spawn in the gravel lakes.

But this spring, she has noticed a catastrophic downturn in numbers. “It’s been a completely disastrous breeding year. I have been doing this for 22 years and have never, ever had a year like this,” she said.

“By this time of year we have normally picked up 1,100 to 1,500 toads. Even on a bad year, we’ve picked up 800. This year we’ve probably picked up 152. Something has happened – something is killing them.

Poole householder Jo Dennis said she had large numbers of toads arriving at her garden pond to breed during the wet weather of early spring, but ended up having to fish about 30 dead ones out of the water.

Lucy Benyon, spokeswoman for the national charity Froglife said it was still awaiting data from toad patrols around the country.

She said: “It does seem numbers might be down on last year, but last year was particularly good for toads – the weather was right when they came out of hibernation.

“It’s common to lose a few during spawning because it’s exhausting for them.

“Females can drown because the males are grabbing hold of them, and with the weather we have had, it’s possible the toads are in a poorer condition.”

Nicky Hoar of Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “We’re not aware that there’s anything particularly bad going on for toads at the moment.

“As far as our staff are concerned, it seems to be a reasonably good year because we haven’t had any late frosts.”

John Wilkinson, research officer with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, said: “The weather has been very strange, but populations of amphibians do fluctuate naturally.

“I’m not aware of any local disease outbreaks.

“With the Ringwood population, as long as some female toads have made it to breed, the population will be fine in the long term.

“There is still a chance there will be late breeders coming in if we get rain over the weekend. If it is warm and windy at night, they risk dessication.”

Factfile

• Britain has two native species of toad, the common and the natterjack, which has a yellow line down its back.

• The common toad (bufo bufo) is widespread, but natterjacks, which used to be common on heathlands in the south, are now found mainly in East Anglia and the north west.

• Frogs are smooth, spend most of their lives in or near water, and leap; while toads have dry, warty-looking skin, live on land and crawl.

• Toads usually hibernate from October to March and migrate to breeding ponds, ideally on warm, damp nights.

• Males are smaller than females and several at a time may cling on to the female’s back to try and fertilise her eggs.

• Toad spawn is laid in long strings, anchored around pond weed.

• Toads eat pests such as slugs and can be encouraged into the garden by not using pellets; and by having a pond, a compost heap, dry stone walls or a pile of stone, and untidy hedge bottoms.

• In the last 50 years, three-quarters of British ponds have disappeared.

• For more information see froglife.org, arc-trust.org, or dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk