GREAT crested newts might be living on a site where councillors have already granted permission for a new housing estate.

Ecologists contracted by housing developer the Nash Partnership found there was a decent chance the protected amphibians might be living in two ponds in fields off Faringdon Road in Southmoor, near Abingdon.

Vale of White Horse District Council already gave Nash outline planning permission to build 43 homes on the site last year, but the company has now submitted its detailed designs as demanded by the council.

This include the results of an ecological survey which concluded that more surveys needed to be carried out to check for the presence of newts in the two ponds.

The ecologists said they would carry out between four and six further visits to the site between March and June. However they also said that even if the rare newts were found, only ‘minor alterations’ would need to be made to the estate plans.