Protected birds are getting help from both firefighters and housing groups to give them their own homes on Lewisham houses.

Housing provider Lewisham Homes has teamed up with local conservation group Lewisham Swifts to provide special bird boxes for swifts to create nests in.

The bird boxes are being placed on houses in Wynell Road in Forest Hill and Dacre Park South in Lee.

London Fire Brigade were needed to install the bird homes right at the top of each house, parking the fire engines right up by the houses to use the ladder to get right up into the top corners.

In honour of the new bird homes, one of the new streets in the housing estate is being named “Swift Lane”.

Rebecca Headd of Lewisham Swifts said: “With the number of swifts in London rapidly declining, it’s fantastic to see Lewisham Homes and Lewisham Council making a long term commitment to helping to preserve these beautiful birds.”

Martin Corbett, London Fire Brigade’s Lewisham Borough commander, said: “It’s been great working in partnership to make a positive difference to our environment.

“It also gave crews a chance to carry out additional training with the aerial ladder platform.”

Nick Pond, Lewisham Council’s ecological regeneration manager, said: “Urban swifts are endangered and need our help to survive here in the summer.

“Installing the nest boxes would not have been possible without the expertise and equipment of both Lewisham Swifts and the London Fire Brigade.

“We hope that this successful collaboration will inspire others to do what they can to enjoy and support these beautiful little birds’ continued existence in Lewisham.”