A POLICE training centre has made it easier for some univited guests to sneak in and out.

A colony of bats has made Durham Police’s Harperley Hall, near Bishop Auckland, their home.

The Grade II-listed hall at Fir Tree, built in 1858, is undergoing refurbishment, including re-roofing of the building.

Mansell Construction Services, together with Newcastle- based xsite architecture, were called in to work as part of the team on the design and build project, which had limitations imposed not only by its graded listing, but by the consultant ecologist acting in the interests of its winged inhabitants.

So as not to disturb the bats, a bat house has been constructed as a temporary home during the works.

The new roof will allow access for the bats through gaps in the slates, so they can return to their original nesting places.

Work on the hall also include new lifts, renewal of all windows, render replacement and stonework as well as significant roof works.

The architect working on the project at xsite, Nita Kidd, said: “Allowances have had to be made for the conservation of the listed building, but also for the bats, with minimum disturbance to their habitat.

“It has been quite a challenge to incorporate the lift and associated machinery into the building, while being sensitive to the Georgian building’s traditional appearance, but the bats’ conservation has been a new one for me.”

The work on Harperley Hall is due to be completed in June.