UK: Ground-penetrating radar specialist Aperio has surveyed four sites in southern England where badger setts were threatening the stability of lineside embankments.
Network Rail contracted Aperio to use radar equipment to analyse the effects of badger excavation at Pinhoe, Cowley Bridge, Cutnall Green and Munsley.
As a result of the radar survey, badgers were found at the Pinhoe site on the London Waterloo - Exeter line. The badgers were carefully and safely resited and vegetation cleared to ground level before engineering contractor Dean & Dyball undertook remedial work to stabilise the embankment.
Aperio carried out pre- and post-grouting GPR tests over a 100 m stretch of track to verify whether contamination of track ballast had occurred as a result of the embankment remedial work.
Aperio used a multi-channel GPR system mounted on an adapted trolley to undertake the survey. ‘The particular challenge of this application was maintaining survey consistency in characterising the ground conditions during the first visit and identifying any changes in ground conditions in the second,’ commented Aperio’s Director Simon Brightwell.
