The Great Crested Newt is one of three species of newt in mainland Britain, the others being the Smooth or Common Newt, and the Palmate Newt. Only the Smooth newt occurs in Ireland. The Smooth and Palmate Newts are widely spread across Britain, while the Great Crested Newt is more commonly found in southern and eastern England.

The Great Crested Newt is the largest of the three newts, growing to 15-18 cm in length; on top the skin is warty and dark, almost black, speckled with tiny white spots. The belly is orange or yellow with individually identifiable patterns of black blotches. In the spring, males develop a high jagged crest along their back and another along the tail. The tail also has a silvery-blue streak along each side, while the females’ tails are yellow or orange along the bottom edge.

Newts spend much of the year on land, but are seldom seen during the daytime. At the beginning of spring, when water temperatures are high enough, the adults return to still water to breed. In the late summer the newts leave the water, although some juveniles may overwinter as larvae. As temperatures start to fall, newts hibernate on land in sheltered, damp, frost-free places including log piles, walls and under ground. Great Crested Newts do not reach breeding maturity until around their third year whereupon they usually return to their birth pond.

Great Crested Newts require a diverse, dense terrestrial habitat for shelter and food when on land, and use corridors such as hedges and ditches to disperse from the breeding pond. The ponds themselves ideally should be of a medium size with areas of open water for breeding displays, and emergent or submerged vegetation for egg-laying, with good feeding opportunities.

Great Crested Newts are becoming scarcer in Britain and the rest of Europe, mostly due to habitat loss and fragmentation, due to agricultural practices and development.


The Great Crested Newt is protected under European law through Annexes 2 and 4 of the EU Habitats and Species Directive, the Bern Convention and the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994; and in the UK through Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Together these make it an offence to:

Intentionally kill, injure or take a Great Crested Newt;

Possess or control any live or dead specimen or anything derived from a Great Crested Newt;

Intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place used for breeding, shelter or protection by a Great Crested Newt;

Intentionally or recklessly disturb a Great Crested Newt while it is occupying a structure or place which it uses for that purpose;

Intentionally take or destroy the eggs of a Great Crested Newt;

Sell, barter, exchange, transport or offer for sale Great Crested Newts or parts of them.

Great Crested Newts are protected in the UK as this country represents their stronghold within Europe.

When considering planning applications, the authorities are required by law to take account of protected species and the conservation of habitats. A detailed ecological survey is usually required before planning permission can be granted.


Due to the protection afforded to the species, all survey techniques must be conducted by a licensed individual. However, habitat suitability assessments can be made without a licence, and can be conducted at any time of the year. As newts are largely nocturnal, surveying is best conducted at night, and during the breeding period of mid March to mid June. Four visits are required to determine presence or absence, or six visits to estimate population size class. In either case, 50% of the visits must take place between mid April and mid May. A combination of techniques is used on each occasion:

Egg search – Eggs of this species are larger than the other species (about 5mm in diameter), and are laid on the leaves of submerged plants which are then neatly folded over.

Torching – High power torches are used to shine into the pond at night when newts are most active.

Netting – A long-handled dip net is used to search for newts.

Bottle trapping – Plastic bottle traps are submerged in the water at dusk, and checked and removed the following morning. These are only used when the night-time temperature is suitable. Newts swim into the traps and are unable to exit until released.

Terrestrial search – Refugia such as logs, rubble, discarded carpet and wood are carefully inspected underneath and then replaced. This is best done during the daytime and can be done out of the breeding season.




The presence of Great Crested Newts is a material consideration in the planning process, and development plans should take the presence of ponds into account. As newts are capable of moving substantial distances overland (typically 200-500m from their breeding pond, but up to 1.3km) it is usually considered necessary to assess the suitability of habitat within 500m of proposed development, and survey all suitable ponds for newts during the breeding season, following the methods outlined above.

Actions which are prohibited by legislation can be made lawful on the granting of a licence from DEFRA. In order to obtain a licence to allow the capture of newts, destruction of breeding sites, etc, in advance of any otherwise legitimate development, it has to be clearly demonstrated that the damage will be adequately compensated for. Current Natural England advice is that there should be no net loss in local Great Crested Newt status, taking into account factors such as population size, viability and connectivity. Hence, mitigation should aim to maintain a population of equivalent status on or near the original site, and should facilitate links to adjacent (indirectly affected) populations where present.

Mitigation for Great Crested Newts normally comprises the following elements:

Habitat creation, restoration or enhancement – to provide receptor areas for displaced newts, in compensation for areas to be lost or damaged;

Avoidance of disturbance, killing or injury – taking all reasonable steps to ensure works do not harm individuals, by altering working methods or timing to avoid newts; capture and removal; exclusion to prevent newts entering development areas;

Long-term habitat management and maintenance – to ensure the population will persist; • Post-development population monitoring – to assess the success of the scheme and to inform management or remedial operations.