For the first time in three years there has been a rare sighting of a species of snail near the River Thames.

The two-lipped door snails were found living in fly-tipped rubble near Chiswick Bridge by a London Wildlife Trust conservation team.

Tasked by Hounslow council to improve living conditions in the area for molluscs at Duke's Hollow Nature Reserve, the team were surprised to find a number of snails already living at the site.

The first one was found grazing on a chunk of concrete near a busy road, while the others were later found by a willow tree.

The rare central European species, only 1 to 2cm has a distinct long shell and Britain is the furthest north they can be found.

Two-lipped door snails found at Dukes Hollow near Chiswick Bridge

Often discovered on riverbank habitats in the tidal Thames area where it can inhabit hedges and scrubs, lodging under logs and rocks.

It is believed two-lipped door snails once populated along the River Thames but development and flood control schemes in the 19th and 20th centuries obliterated the species along with the German hairy snail.

Fortunately nature reserves such as Duke’s Hollow provide a safe haven for these rare snails, the Trust said.

Nathan Nelson, a Trust volunteer who is part of the team which discovered the snails, said: “We found it in the last place we'd have thought to look.

"We were tidying up around the boundary of the reserve, right by the road, and started moving stones on top of some broken fencing. And there it was, a two-lipped door snail on an old chunk of concrete.

"At first this would look like fly-tipped builders’ rubble but the snails seem to be perfectly happy there. We cleared a great deal of rubbish from the reserve and we don't want to see any more there, but the snails appear to have made the best of it.”

For the first time in three years two-lipped door snails found at Dukes Hollow near Chiswick Bridge

The last time a two-lipped door snail was spotted in London was 2014, and only four sightings have ever been recorded this century in the Thames tidal area of west London, including Isleworth and Brentford.

Councillor Corinna Smart of Hounslow Council added: “What delightful news that such a rare species of snail has been found right here in Hounslow.

"As a council, we work closely with the London Wildlife Trust to ensure that we continue to improve areas across the borough to enhance the habitats of wildlife, so it can thrive and residents and visitors alike of all ages can enjoy seeing it.”

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