God, that is grim, Andy.

A little bit more here from the National Trust website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-formby/w-formby-squirrel-pox-formby.htm

We only have the grey ones here, but my friend who lives in Dacre has the red ones in her garden.  I hope they're not going to be wiped out too.  She hasn't mentioned anything about it yet.

Some of the Scottish reds have been protected for years, hh: Dundee has full-time game keepers to eradicate greys found close to the reds' colonies, and a programme designed specifically to protect them. Greys are certainly spreading north, though: the woman who lives in the house near the stand of trees I often photograph says that she's seen greys there for the first time, and that's only three or four miles from the beechwood where I found reds last year, with unbroken tree corridors all the way. Not good news.

I often used to take the children to the Formby reserve. The squirrels were very tame and would take food from your hand. The news of this virus has been around for quite a long time now, but it does sound as if it's getting worse. Terribly sad. The demise of Squirrel Nutkin.

The good news, however, for what it's worth, is that red squirrels are the only kind one sees in Germany, or the only kind I've seen anyway, and they're as common as greys are in England. So no danger of extinction as yet.

Quite so, Ron.  Unfortunately I live in a household where I am alone in this view, and where the "cute" view of the grey squirrel prevails; and my grand plan to put traps down in the garden before the buglers get into the loft (not to mention dealing with the problem of bird egg predation) is regarded as cruel and unfeeling.  That view may change if they get into the house ... but by then it will be too late.   

I'd have shared your view there IRF.  A couple of months ago someone noticed what they called a "mouse" scurry under some of the desks.  Another member of staff was all for getting traps (proper nasty ones) but luckily I had a sympathetic ally in the form of the caretaker.  We both got down on our hands and knees, ushered the poor thing into a box and set it free in the woods out the back.  I'm sure it was only a vole it was so tiny, but I'm utterly puzzled as to how it got up two floors.

Never seen another one since.  Why some people always have to go straight to the most brutal solution I have no idea.  I understand that infestations can be problematic, but I'm afraid I tend towards the Buddhist standpoint on this sort of thing.