Slow-worm invasion halts building work on Blackadder star Rowan's home

In Blackadder, he was something of a slippery character.Now Rowan Atkinson is on the receiving end – after his countryside home was invaded by an army of slow-worms.

The infestation by the snake-like creatures means he has had to stop building work on the controversial £5million pad. Up to 30 of the protected reptiles could be on the site. 

The comedian, 56, who starred as the scheming Edmund Blackadder in the BBC series, has ordered workers creating the five-bedroom glass and white steel home to down tools until the problem is solved. 

When he unveiled plans for the luxury home, some locals complained, labelling it a ‘space-age petrol station’. But the star, who has an estimated fortune of almost £100million, was given planning permission to build the hi-tech house in Oxfordshire last August. 

He successfully argued in favour of tearing down an 80-year-old building and replacing it with the three-storey structure designed by architect Richard Meier.It will include a walkway over a courtyard connecting it to a lawned terrace and tennis court, as well as stables and an underground garage.Atkinson also wants to turn a swimming pool into a two- storey guest wing set into the hillside. 

But the discovery of seven slow-worms on the site after an ecological study has put a spanner in the works.Experts believe there could be 30 slow-worms on the land. They found two adults and five juveniles during seven visits in April. 

All native reptiles are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, which means it is illegal to recklessly or intentionally kill or harm them.


James Smith, of environmental consultants Development Ecology, wrote in his report: ‘The survey confirmed the presence of a small population of slow-worms on site, concentrated around the south-facing bank at the front of the property.‘The survey also confirmed that the population has become established as a breeding population.’


The report recommends that the reptiles be trapped and found a new home.It also says roof tiles on the existing house should be removed by hand so that bats are not disturbed.


Dominic Lamb, countryside officer at South Oxfordshire council, said: ‘A condition was placed on the planning permission for the developer to carry out reptile surveys and propose suitable measures to avoid harming any creatures found. The developer has completed the necessary surveys and submitted a report to us. We will consider the report and respond in due course.’


At a parish planning meeting last year, Atkinson said: ‘I do not want to live in a house that is weird or futuristic, but one that is simple, graceful and elegant.‘The home will add to our architectural heritage.’Slow-worms are legless lizards and live for up to 30 years.They feast on slugs and worms, can grow up to 18 inches long and shed their tails to escape predators.