Water board on newt alert at Ninfield

The company is surveying large lagoons at a number of its water treatment works sites across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey to see if great crested newts are living and breeding in them.

The recently refurbished treatment works at Ninfield has recently being hailed as one of the most important sites in the south east for amphibians and reptiles, such as grass snakes, slow worms and the protected great crested newt.

The lagoons store wash water used to clean filters during the treatment of drinking water supplies '“ the wash water also contains small particles filtered out during the different stages of the treatment process. These small particles form a sludge which is then removed from site and used as an agricultural fertiliser.

As a result the lagoons make a perfect des-res for great crested newts looking for a safe haven '“ and so the water company is checking for the protected amphibian before it carries out its regular lagoon cleaning programme.

Emma Goddard, environmental manager at South East Water, said: "While there is complex technology involved in making sure our water supplies are safe to drink, our treatment works can offer a safe haven for many protected species and a wide range of flora and fauna.

"With adult newts returning to water to breed in the spring, and their young then emerging back onto land between summer and autumn, we want to time our maintenance work to only remove the sludge when we know the newts are safe on dry land.

"We will be working closely with Natural England to agree how we can continue to safely operate our water treatment plants, but ensure we do not harm these special visitors, and meet the legislation designed to protect them, in the process."