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They're designed to make sure bats don't get killed by the traffic rushing along busy new roads.
But the 15 'bat bridges' that have been built across the UK from Cumbria to Cornwall at a cost of £2million simply don't work, say scientists.
The wire structures, or gantries, are supposed to trick the bats, which navigate using echo location, into thinking there is a tree canopy in their way, making them fly higher.
But Dr Anna Berthinussen, a bat ecologist commissioned by the Government to study the bridges said: 'The evidence suggests that actually no, these structures are not effective, they're not meeting their purpose.'
Dr Anna Berthinussen, a bat ecologist commissioned by the Government to study the bridges said: 'The evidence suggests that actually no, these structures are not effective, they're not meeting their purpose.' Pictured: A bat bridge in Norwich
Dr William Sutherland, who runs the National Conservation Evidence Database at Cambridge University, added: 'Wire bat bridges, or gantries, have been created in many locations costing about £2million. Pictured: A bat bridge over the A590 dual carriageway in Cumbria
Dr William Sutherland, who runs the National Conservation Evidence Database at Cambridge University, added: 'Wire bat bridges, or gantries, have been created in many locations costing about £2million. Before and after tests showed they were ineffective.' He told BBC's
