BRITAIN’S most endangered butterfly is alive and well and living on moorland near Minehead. And now Minehead Town Council, which owns the land at Hopcott Common, has pledged to carry out urgent work to improve its habitat.

Councillors were told at their meeting on Tuesday that no management plan exists for the 52 hectares of moorland and there was “a lack of awareness” by the council of its obligations and responsibilities in providing a wildlife habitat.

Finance officer Andy Giles told councillors that Hopcott Common, on the southern edge of Minehead, was home to the heath fritillary, considered to be Britain’s most endangered butterfly, now found on a small number of sites, mainly in Devon and Somerset.

It was a protected species and one of the reasons the council had received Natural England funding of £11,500 to finance two years of land management to maintain the habitat the butterfly needed to survive.

Mr Giles said the land, which was partially in Exmoor National Park, was unspoilt moorland with no commercial value, contained a number of rights of way and was an important habitat for many species of wildlife.

The heath fritillary, distinguished by its dusky wing colours, was on the brink of extinction in the 1970s and has been in decline over the past 30 years.

Exmoor, with an estimated 15 colonies, is one of only four UK sites where the butterfly can be found.

Mr Giles said: “For a number of years the council has engaged the services of Mr Paul Storey to do the work necessary to maintain the land.

“Mr Storey is very experienced in this type of work, including liaison with Exmoor National Park and the butterfly conservation officer, as well as managing and maintaining the land on behalf of the council.”

But Mr Giles believed the council should now be more proactive in managing Hopcott Common. He told councillors: “There should be greater awareness of the responsibilities that the council has and a proper management plan should be developed.”

He added: “There is an urgent need for work to be carried out on the land in order to improve wildlife habitats and to reduce the risk of fire.

“The work must be carried out within the next few months as this type of work is not permitted in the spring and summer months. Mr Storey is willing and able to undertake the work, but formal instruction is required from the town council.”

After discussion, councillors accepted Mr Giles’ recommendations to appoint an advisory group to deal with managing the common and approved a maximum of £5,000 worth of work to be carried out before next March and funded by a Natural England grant.

Mr Storey was appointed to do the work and, due to its specialist nature, the council waived the regulations which required competitive tenders.

Several councillors thought they should meet Mr Storey to get a rundown on the work needed: “He has all the knowledge to explain our obligations,” said Cllr Oliver Harvey.

Mr Giles said councillors needed to be involved “but the problem the contractor has is that the land needs to be managed now”. He said the council could look at the matter again in future: “But I am keen to give him the go-ahead.”

When Cllr John Malin suggested that Exmoor National Park be asked to join the advisory group, Mr Giles said he had already been in touch with the authority.