“Toad patrols” are out helping amphibians to cross roads in the South Downs as they make their annual return to ponds to breed.

Volunteers collect toads from one side of the road and carry them to the other side in buckets, with patrols usually taking place after dusk, as most toads travel under cover of darkness.

Drivers are being urged to take care because the migration has begun earlier this year, something rangers attribute to the mild, wet weather.

One hotspot is the road between Litlington and Seven Sisters Country Park in East Sussex, where a large migration is under way, with patrols now in operation, the South Downs National Park Authority says.