GBR Press: The high cost of protecting newts

[Wes von Papineäu]

LANCASHIRE EVENING POST (Preston, UK) 15 April 08 The high cost of protecting newts
The endangered greater crested newt have saddled Lancashire's taxpayers with a hefty bill.
The cost of protecting the newt from the development of the bypass at Broughton, near Preston, is running into thousands of pounds.
Details released under the Freedom of Information Act show that Lancashire County Council has so far shelled out £49,000 ($US 96,980) on ecological costs of the development, a large chunk of which is to protect the newts found on site – and will spend an extra £21,000 ($US 41,560) on consultants costs in the future.
On the Heysham to M6 Link Road, the county council has also spent a whopping £614,000 ($US 1,215,000) on its ecological costs – in just six years.
County Coun Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for environment and transportation, said the costs of hiring environmental experts to carry out such studies were actually a legal requirement for major road schemes.
He said: "We have to carry out surveys to establish what is present on or near the site and to establish if there is any potential harm caused by the development."
A spokesman for Natural England said the costs were a small price to pay for protecting a species which is almost unique to the Red Rose County.
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