RARE newts should be rehoused before a new development goes ahead, a councillor has said.

Clr Kath Pinnock is worried about the fate of around 10 great crested newts in a pond at Prospect Mills in Scholes, Cleckheaton.

Developers David Wilson Homes, which wants to build 47 homes on the site, have offered to create a new pond for the colony on nearby Green Belt land.

But Clr Pinnock believes that site is inappropriate. She said: “I have looked carefully at the plans for a new home and I don’t believe it’s a newt’s des res.

“The pond would have a footpath going over it and I’m worried that children would come along with nets and catch the newts.”

Clr Pinnock wants a better home for the animals. She said: “I have written to the planners asking them to turn down the proposal and require the developers to take proper account of the needs of the newts.”

The great crested newt is the least common breed in the UK and is protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981.

Clr Pinnock said: “I’m proud that Scholes can boast its own colony but there has been a serious decline in the last 40 years and Kirklees Council lists the newt as needing special attention.”