THE roll-out of superfast broadband is seen as crucial to the rural economy, but attempts to do so in part if North Yorkshire have been held up – by breeding badgers.

Engineers preparing to lay cables were stopped dead in their tracks when they came across a group of badger setts directly on their route.

And now work has had to be suspended as the creatures are a protected species and it is illegal to interfere with or disturb their underground homes.

The engineers from Openreach – the part of BT responsible for rolling out fibre broadband across the UK – had been preparing to lay fibre cable as part of the Superfast North Yorkshire programme.

They were trying to connect up some 450 properties in the Easingwold area when they came across the striped denizens of the wild.

And they had to stop work immediately as penalties for interfering with setts can be severe with fines of up to £5,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment for each offence.

A specialist badger consultant has now been called in to advise on whether the setts are active or whether the nocturnal creatures have moved on.

If they are occupied, Openreach will need to apply for a license from Natural England which will set out guidelines around just how far from the setts the engineering work needs to be for it to continue.

But that would be unlikely to materialise for at least another month as badgers are rearing their young between December and June and spend most of the time underground.

John Moore, the chief executive of the county council’s broadband enterprise NYnet, admitted: “Bringing fibre broadband to England’s largest rural county was always going to present us with some challenges but this is a first for us.

“If we do find there’s a risk of disturbing local wildlife and their natural habitat then we take the matter very seriously.

"That’s why we’ve temporarily suspended our work in the Easingwold area and enlisted the help of a badger expert to make sure these animals are protected.”

He added: “Engineering work will continue once we’re advised of the best course of action.”