A Dorset peninsula has been identified as the most biodiverse place in the UK, according to new research.

New research by the University of Sussex commissioned by Natural England has revealed that the Isle of Purbeck has boasted 44 of the 58 species of mammals that reside on UK shores.

The research noted that the Isle which includes Corfe Castle, Swanage, East and West Lulworth and Studland was home to rabbits, foxes, mice, stoats, hedgehogs and badgers.

However, it added that the area did not have wildcats as they only live in Scotland however it is also missing the white-toothed shrew, which lives in the Scilly Isles and the greater mouse-earred bat - of which there is only one known in the country.

The research noted almost one in five of British mammal species face a high risk of extinction which includes the red squirrel and the grey long-eared bat.

Climate change, loss of habitat, use of pesticides and road deaths are all to blame for the losses.

Professor Fiona Matthews, mammal society chair and professor of environmental biology at the University of Sussex, said: "This is happening on our own doorstep so it falls upon all of us to try and do what we can to ensure that our threatened species do not go the way of the lynx, wolf and elk and disappear from our shores forever.'

"The report highlights an urgent requirement for more research to assess population densities in key habitats because at present, uncertainty levels are unacceptably high.

"It is possible that declines in many species are being overlooked because a lack of robust evidence precludes assessment.

"There is also an urgent need to quantify precisely the scale of declines in species such as the hedgehog, rabbit, water vole and grey long-eared bat. Effective and evidence-based strategies for mammal conservation and management must be developed before it is too late.”

Natural England Senior Specialist for Mammals, Katherine Walsh, who coordinated the project, added: “This project has significantly improved our understanding of the current status of terrestrial mammals known to breed in Great Britain, which is essential to underpin our efforts to protect them and their habitats."