Builders forced to build £140,000 new home.... for two rare newts

The discovery of great-crested newts next to the Nant Glas site in Trefnant, Denbighshire, Wales delayed work on Anwyl Construction's new housing estate by six months.

Would-be human inhabitants had to wait while a newt habitat was built, as European law requires.

It was subsequently found the "colony" consisted of just two.

Company director Matt Anwyl joked: "We could have built them a three-bedroomed house instead."

Work on the 26-home estate could start only once a suitable newt habitat was built.

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The work can take up to 18 months, and in this case cost the company more to build than an actual house.

And an even larger colony of newts has since been found at another Anwyl Construction site – Aberkinsey Parc in Rhyl.

The newts on that site will be moved to a new, purpose-built habitat in Rhuddlan.

Technical director Andy Davies said: "Because great-crested newts are protected by European law, we have to provide them with a new purpose-built habitat and that can take up to 18 months to develop."

"Then we have to trap them and transport them to their new homes."

The work at Trefnant was completed by construction company AEDC, which is also building the new habitat on a 20-acre site at the Bodrhyddan Estate in Rhuddlan.

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The Rhuddlan project will cost more than £300,000.

Newts must have water, somewhere to lie and somewhere to lay their eggs.

Both newts and water voles will be trapped from the spring onwards, and moved to the new ponds.

The ponds will also attract frogs and toads, and otters are already likely to be on the Glanffyddion Mill stream, which comes from Dyserth Waterfall, and then runs alongside the site on its way into the River Clwyd.

Design ecologist Tim Hodnett said: "We have used concrete railway sleepers to construct an access road for the caterpillar-tracked excavators, so as to protect the burrows the voles make, otherwise the Environment Agency could not get to the stream to do essential work."

"It's very important the animals should be able to move about freely and securely."