Nest bricks are to be built into all new developments in Bury to protect migratory birds.

The authority has become the first in Greater Manchester to include the mandatory conditioning of "swift bricks" into new housing for "building-dependent" species such as swifts and house martins.

The move comes after an eight-year campaign from a 20-strong nature volunteer group, Bolton and Bury Swifts, who rescue and nurture swifts and house martins who are struggling.

Swifts are a migratory species that grace our skies each summer after wintering in Africa.

They often fly back to the same established nest within the exterior walls of houses in the UK.

The building in of "swift bricks" will also help protect house sparrows and starlings which are partially dependent on nests within homes.

Louise Bentley, from Bolton and Bury Swifts, attended the meeting of the council which unanimously adopted the new policy last week.

She said: “Swift bricks are flush to the exterior of a house and are colour matched.

“It’s a brick with a small sealed space where the birds can safely nest.

“The bricks are often placed near the eaves of the house and aesthetically blend in.”

Louise said the council measures will go even further as nest boxes will be used when council houses in the borough a re-roofed.

She said: “A lot of swift nests in Greater Manchester are in homes on the former council estates.

“That age and type of building they seem to really like, the overhanging eaves style.

“So when they re-roof they can put in a little box which fits into the overhang.

“These type of boxes will go in the next tender for the re-roofing of houses on the Redvales estate in Bury.

“We’ve been pushing for this since 2016 so it’s great it’s finally happened.”

Louise gave an insight into the desperate plight of swifts who see their nests blocked of after building work.

She said: “Swifts are completely faithful to their nest site.

“They return from Africa to the exact same building and if there has been work done such as a new roof and they can’t get in they can spend their whole summer trying to get back in.

“It’s a very distressing thing to watch. Sometimes they’ll injure or even kill themselves by keep flying up and bashing against the closed off area.”

The adopted council motion said: “Without a proactive policy we stand to lose many species, causing further deprivation of nature in urban areas.

“It has been recognised that integrating nest bricks into the structure of the new buildings is a much-preferred solution over bird boxes.

“They are a permanent feature of the building, require zero maintenance, are aesthetically integrated within the design, less vulnerable to vandalism and have better thermal regulation with future climate change in mind.

“Furthermore, analysis of breeding records from new housing estates built with integrated swift bricks has shown that these spaces are readily used by both swifts and other urban bird species, particularly house sparrows.”