Cambridgeshire school expansion delayed by newts

Great crested newts are holding up expansion at a school leaving pupils to be taught in mobile classrooms.

Cambourne Village College in Cambridgeshire planned a new wing for science laboratories, workshops, a business studies suite and restaurant.

It will be ready by January 2020, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman said the great crested newts, a protected species, would be moved to an alternative habitat.

"Four, high-quality mobile classrooms will provide supplementary teaching space at the college until the new facilities are ready in January. There has been no impact on September admissions," the spokesman added.

Great Crested Newts

Are the biggest newt species in the UK and have been around for approximately 40 million years

During the breeding season males develop a jagged crest which has a break at the base of the tail and females take on a "bulky" appearance

Adults grow up to 15cm (6in) in length

Their skin is black or dark brown with a rough, warty appearance (they are also known as the "warty newt") and their underside is bright orange with irregular black blotches

Populations have disappeared from many sites across Europe due to habitat loss and intensification of farming practices

Famous newt aficionados include Labour politician Ken Livingstone and Gussie Fink-Nottle from PG Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster comic novels

Source: Froglife/BBC

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Nature notes: Where have our newts gone?

Once a common sight throughout Britain, the great crested newt has now been listed as a protected species in the UK due to their gradual demise

Great crested newt Photo: Alamy

By Hana Carter

6:53PM BST 10 Sep 2015

The great crested newt has been made a protected species in the UK and Europe after a loss of habitat has led to a gradual disappearance of a once common amphibian.

According to Freshwater Habitats Trust, there were around one million ponds in the UK a century ago. That figure has dropped to approximately 478,000.

Ponds are ideal breeding grounds, but over the years have been replaced with piped water supply and livestock drinking troughs. The newt’s land habitat, patches of grassland and woodland, are also in decline due to development and habitat fragmentation.

The trust is embarking on an environmental study to reveal how many newts there are in the UK. Researchers will test the DNA in the water to monitor the freshwater species that live there to develop their work to protect the newt.

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