Alex and Lucy Foley must empty their premises an hour before sunset so a greater horseshoe bat colony 75 metres away is not disturbed
A couple were forced to lay off staff at their cafe after a night-time ruling to safeguard rare bats.
Alex and Lucy Foley have been told to end their popular theme evenings an hour before sunset so the nearby greater horseshoe colony is not disturbed.
They say it has seen takings plummet 20 per cent.
Four of the 19 staff at the Guardhouse Cafe, on Berry Head in Brixham, Devon, have now lost their jobs following the move.
It is understood there are 92 bats living in the caves 75 metres from the cafe.
They leave the caves to hunt 20 to 30 minutes after sunset.
In September last year, the couple started to run regular themed restaurant evenings such as Greek and Thai, which were attended by up to 40 people.
But when they sought permission from Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, which owns and manages Berry Head, they were shocked to be told everyone, including staff, had to be out of the premises one hour before sunset.
Alex said: “When we saw how popular the evening events were were, we decided to do more from April 1.
“Rather than one every week or two, we planned two per week, and four per week in August.
“We planned to grow the evening events to form 20 to 30 per cent of our revenue and do around 10 private bookings a year, for weddings and birthday parties, which would account for two per cent of our turnover.
“I feel terrible for the staff that are losing their jobs.”
The last evening event was a sold-out Sicilian night on March 27.
TCCT director Damian Offer said: “Berry Head is a unique and special place with a diverse array of rare and threatened flora and fauna.
“It is the trust’s duty to protect that wildlife. Natural England is the statutory advisor to the trust.
“Further research into the behaviour of bats at Berry Head will be necessary before NE can properly determine the likely impact of evening events. Unfortunately there is a significant cost involved in such work.”
A spokesman for Natural England said the legally-protected greater horseshoe bat is a species of ‘principal importance’ and the area is thought to contain the UK’s largest population of them.
She said: “The route between the Guardhouse Cafe and the car park crosses a known flight path and the surrounding grassland offers foraging potential for the bats.”