* Bats are not blind. Also, they can "see" in the dark by listening to the echoes of their high frequency calls

* Bats do not build nests; they hang up or creep into cracks and crannies

* Bats rarely live in belfries. They prefer somewhere quiet, not draughty, and free from cobwebs

* Bats often choose modern houses as roost sites - about half of all known pipistrelle bat roosts in the 1980s were in houses less than 25 years old. In winter - when insects are scarce - bats hibernate in cool parts of buildings, caves and hollow trees

* Bats can live for up to 30 years

* Of about 4,500 different species of mammal in the world, nearly 1,000 are bats. Three-quarters of these eat insects just as British bats do. In the tropics bats also eat many other foods - fruit, flowers, frogs, fish, blood, even other bats!

* Britain's commonest bat, the pipistrelle, is only 4cm long and weighs about five grams - less than a 2p coin!

* Of the 16 species of bat left in Britain, six are endangered or rare and six others are classed as vulnerable

The Bat Conservation Trust operates a national helpline for people who have inquiries about bats. The helpline - 0845 130 0228 - operates from 9am-1pm and 2-5.30pm weekdays, except Bank Holidays. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to helpline@bats.org.uk.

l Information courtesy of the Bat Conservation Trust