Please help the people of the London Borough's of Hackney and Islington.

In recent months more and more lives of these residents have been put in jeopardy, due to gangs using an un-lit bat preservation area around the Regent's Canal to prey on innocent victims at night. As bats are ultra-senstive to light, these areas are kept dark at night so that the bats can leave their roosts to find food. But how many more people have to have this un-necessary trauma and violence inflicted upon them before someone helps put an end to it?

You can help simply by signing this petition - This petition is not against the lives of these bats, it is pro saving the lives of human beings. Once the lights are installed in this area, these gangs won't be able to lurk in the darkness, waiting to rob and stab their chosen victims.

But what about the bat populations future?

In 1994, a law was put into place that made it illegal to disturb bats and bat roosts. The argument is that the needs of the local bat population are more important than the benefits of lighting. In some circumstances I would agree with this, if the lighting was purely for aesthetic reasons for example. Although I may still question that, as aesthetics are very important to me and, no dis-respect to bats, but i'd rather look at a nicely lit up building at night, than have a scary encounter with a hungry bat. But i'm digressing from the much more serious and relevant topic.

If a newly lit and safe area means that bats will have to move their roosts from one tree to another tree in the middle of a park for example, then I don't think anyone can argue with that. The bats will still be happy and residents will be happy knowing that they can walk home from work without being stabbed. The law on installing lights where there are active bat roosts should be questioned, even changed, where public safety is at risk. Human life is more important.

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