A Keswick couple have been giving up their free time for 20 years to patrol a busy Cumbrian road helping frogs and toads in need.

Johnnie Walker and his wife Deborah Cowin man a busy stretch of the A591 just outside Keswick every breeding season, between February and March.

Johnnie, 53, who lives in the town, picks up frogs and toads as they try to cross the road on wet nights, placing them in a bucket and moving them to their breeding pond.

He said: “The problem is a toad or a frog doesn’t know what a road is and because the surface is quite cold they’ll just sit there for a while and get squashed.

“A toad to me is a very beautiful animal, feisty and tough.

“People get the wrong idea about them being slimy and covered in warts but they’re actually a very handsome animal.”

Johnnie’s love of amphibians started as a child and since then he has worked for conservation organisations Froglife and Save The Frogs.

Globally he believes frogs and toads are at risk of the biggest extinction since the dinosaurs, with hundreds of sites in Cumbria where they need help.

As well as helping frogs and toads cross the road, he also advises people on how to build ponds and has made videos to promote his work.

He said: “I’m an amphibian expert and have been involved with conservation all my life.

“I’ve always been passionate about frogs and toads. As a kid I lived near a pond and I would go and help them over the road and it’s very much stayed with me.

“When you’re a kid and you see the spawn and tadpoles it’s fascinating.”