LITTLE did toad patrol volunteer Dave Pressland realise when he was taking photos of the creatures on a damp February evening that the images would bring him national recognition.

The wildlife enthusiast said he took the snaps to highlight the plight of thousands of common toads attempting to reach their spawning grounds at Cod Beck Reservoir, Osmotherley, near Northallerton, and was thrilled to win a British Wildlife Photography Award.

The database application engineer, of Thirsk, overcame competition from the country's top professional photographers for his documentary-style shots titled Toads on Roads and the shots will form part of an national touring exhibition and the British Wildlife Photography Awards Collection book.

He said he hoped the photos would raise awareness about the estimated 20 tons of toads which are killed on the UK's roads each year and would inspire others to join the nightly patrols on the 1.5-mile stretch of the road beside Scarthwood Moor.

Mr Pressland said: "I have been fascinated by wildlife for as long as I can remember and feel it needs to be conserved.

"This was a particularly fascinating subject."

Toad migration is very weather dependent, but they tend to emerge on the North York Moors National Park road on mild wet nights anytime from February onwards, once the temperature had topped five degrees.

On a busy nights, the patrol has picked up 900 of the creatures from the relatively quiet road, but it is estimated there is still a ten per cent mortality rate.

The conservation work, which is also undertaken in Pittington Lane, Durham and Liverton Lane, Saltburn, involves carrying the threatened amphibians to safety by the water's edge in a bucket.

Mr Pressland said he had taken short breaks during the dusk patrols to capture the toads' vulnerability to traffic due to their crawling movements and sluggishness following hibernation.

He said: "Toads find it easier to walk along the road than clamber through heather and bracken and the males will often sit in the road to look for a potential mate."

The macro photography specialist added: "The biggest asset to have in wildlife photography is a passion for the wildlife and the more knowledge you have, the better your photos will be because you can predict their behaviour."