Water voles: licence to displace them for work on flood defences, water courses or drainage systems (CL24)
Register to use a licence to displace water voles to allow Internal Drainage Boards to carry out works that could disturb or damage their burrows and report actions taken under this licence.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
You must now have a licence to intentionally disturb water voles and move them from their original location by ‘displacement’.
This licence is for employees of Internal Drainage Boards (the local public authorities with powers to manage water levels within their drainage districts) or anyone acting on behalf of them.
This licence lets you intentionally displace water voles and damage, destroy or obstruct their burrows to maintain or restore flood defences, drainage systems and water courses (such as rivers and streams) . This licence can only be used:
- to preserve public health or safety
- to prevent serious damage to livestock, animal feed crops, growing timber, fisheries or any other property
- for reasons of overriding public interest
You can:
- cut vegetation over the burrow back to bare earth in spring and autumn and if required remove water from the water course (known as ‘water draw-down’)
- carry out a destructive search of water vole burrows following removal of vegetation
- destroy the empty burrow after a destructive search
You should apply for an individual licence if you cannot follow the terms and conditions of this licence.
On this page you can:
- register for a new licence
- continue your registration for another year
- report actions taken under this licence
Register with Natural England
You must register with Natural England before you can use this licence.
Only employees, contractors or consultants acting on behalf of Internal Drainage Boards are eligible to register to use this licence. Natural England will confirm your registration in writing. You must not carry out any licensed activities until you receive written confirmation of your registration.
Complete the registration form
Complete the registration form for a new licence.
Using your licence for another year
If you plan to use your licence for another year, confirm this on your water vole licence report of action form when you report the actions taken under this licence.
You should check for any amendments to the terms and conditions of use on the latest published version of this licence.
Report actions taken under this licence
You must use the water vole licence report of action form, to report any actions taken under this licence together with any monitoring undertaken to check for the presence of water voles at sites where displacement has taken place. Report your action between 1 and 30 November each year, even if you’ve taken no action or did not find the target species.
You will be asked:
- for your licence details
- details of all displacement activities undertaken using this licence (this also includes works conducted by Accredited Agents and Assistants acting under their authority)
- details of monitoring undertaken to check for the presence of water voles at sites where displacement has taken place
- if you want to continue using your licence for another year
Submit a water vole displacement CL24 class licence report of action and monitoring
Get help
If you need help with registering for a class licence or completing your licence return form, contact enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.
Updates to this page
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New online registration form as well as a combined report of action and monitoring form.
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Updated this licence to cover the period 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2030.
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Changed the scientific name of water voles to Arvicola terrestris for the purpose of this licence. We have added a new information and advice note (note e).
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Updated this licence to cover the period 1 January to 31 December 2025. Reworded several sections to make the information clearer, including the sections on 'Registering to use this licence' and 'Recording and reporting requirements'. Additional techiniques added to the section on 'What this licence permits'. Amended licence conditions (conditions 7, 9 and 16) and an information and advice note (note d). Added additional licence conditions (conditions 4 and 8) and an information and advice note (note b); these have been renumbered following the addition of the new conditions and note.
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There is an update to this licence for 1 January 2024.
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Licence updated to cover the purpose of reasons of overriding public interest. Annual updates valid from 1 January 2023.
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Annual licence update, valid from 1 January 2022.
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Annual licence update.
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Accessible version of licence added - HTML.
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Replaced licence with new version issued 1 January 2020
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Replaced licence with new version issued 1 January 2019. Replaced registration and report forms with updated versions.
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Replaced licence with new version issued 1 January 2018
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Annual licence update 2017.
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Annual licence update 2017.
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Added monitoring form.
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First published.