Newts delay £2.3m hotel

Environmental watchdogs have halted work on a £2.3 million hotel to protect a colony of rare newts.

Natural England said work on the Travelodge at Lowestoft, Suffolk, should stop to prevent the great crested newts being harmed.

Officials said they were assessing an application from developers for permission to move the newts to a new site.

A spokesman said he expected the assessment process to take about a month.

The newts are living close to a pond near the development and Natural England said they are in danger of being killed.

"They are on the move at this time of the year and are moving around very close to the development," said the spokesman.

"They are at risk of getting on to the site and being killed during development work."

Experts say great crested newts are Britain's largest newt species and their numbers have declined significantly during the past century.

They are a designated protected species and it is an offence to capture, kill or disturb them without official approval.