Geoff Hetherington, chairman of Westmorland Red Squirrels, says there is much people can do to help protect red squirrels

Red squirrels have been resident in the British Isles since the last Ice Age and are our most iconic mammal.

Yet the grey squirrel, introduced just 150 years ago, has pushed reds to the brink of extinction in England and Wales.

The reds have had their ups and downs over the centuries due to localised extinctions caused by disease and woodland clearance but their survival has never been so much in the balance. Enough is enough.

Red squirrel conservation groups in the North of England and North Wales are doing a remarkable job. Over the last decade thousands of volunteers have swelled the ranks of the dedicated few who refuse to let the red squirrel be lost for ever.

We can only succeed through their efforts and infectious enthusiasm, which I applaud, and we now work with government bodies and scientists so that future generations can enjoy this delightful animal.

A law passed in the1930s classed grey squirrels as vermin. Yet we’re aware of people trapping greys and then releasing them elsewhere, often after they get fed up with them wrecking their bird feeders!

This criminal offence simply gives someone else the problem – and what a problem it is! Property damage costs insurance companies millions, never mind the impact on commercial woodlands and the effect on songbirds from egg and chick predation.

Some point out that red squirrels cause tree damage too but look at the numbers. Grey squirrels often breed 3 times a year with a litter of 4 or 5 - potentially 15 young annually. Red squirrels might breed twice depending on food supply [another threat from the greys] producing a litter of 2 or 3 - potentially 6 a year. One doesn’t need a maths degree to work out the long-term effect.

The only way to protect red squirrels is to remove the greys. They cannot co-exist and although some people believe otherwise, I assure you they cannot! We understand those elderly or disabled people who cannot get out and about and who feed greys – they are probably the only squirrel they see. This is why we encourage public bodies, landowners and landowning charities to improve access to nature reserves and locations where red squirrels can be seen. But one of the greatest threats is from people who feed and encourage greys, usually through ill-informed advice. Thankfully well over 90 per cent of the general public we come into contact with, at shows or when giving talks, are right behind us.

This is not a lost cause. The Anglesey project led by Dr Craig Shuttleworth is a fantastic example of a successful community project. There, a handful of reds were hanging on when the island became overrun with grey squirrels. Now, following a systematic targeted approach, the last grey has been removed and reds exceed 700.

A healthy, red-friendly habitat is crucial and more thought should be given to squirrels when felling licences are applied for.

Dr Peter Lurz, a well-regarded red squirrel scientist, recently studied how sympathetic felling on the Isle of Arran can improve squirrel habitat. In Scotland the Forestry Commission has a wildlife awareness officer: England doesn’t. Why? Our government’s forestry agencies, apparently obsessed with removing every pine tree from England, yet half-hearted on grey control, need to champion our iconic red squirrels and support actions that ensure their survival.

What can you do? Land owners could plant trees that provide the food those red squirrels rely upon, Hazel and Scots Pine, for example. Join a squirrel group; get involved. Check out our web site www.westmorlandredsquirrels.org.uk.

We’re always looking for people to promote the message, control greys and record sightings. It’s not too late.