Boris Johnson is having a war with newts

Boris Johnson is locked in a tense war with newts, of all things.

The former prime minister has plans to build a pool at his new Oxfordshire home, but the iron fist of bureaucracy has warned him against doing anything that could disrupt giant crested newts living nearby.

One council officer, Edward Church, advised planning permission should not be granted, without an assessment, because the pool would risk the protected species.

In his holding objection to the pool, first reported in the Telegraph, he said the proposed development falls within "the red zone of highest risk to great crested newts".

"Natural England guidance requires that proposals need to demonstrate no risk to GCN or appropriate levels of mitigation and compensation following assessment."

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He said protected species surveys may be needed to support Johnson's application.

Johnson moved to the £3.8m 17th Century house in May. The grounds of the nine-bedroom building include a tennis court and are bordered on three sides by a moat.

Ironically, when he was PM he railed against "newt-counting" as a "massive drag on prosperity" blaming the process for slowing down building in the UK.

Meanwhile great crested newts are a European protected species and it is an offence to deliberately kill, injure or capture them, or damage their breeding sites and resting places.

According to government agency Natural England, the population of great crested newts has dramatically declined over the last 60 years so Johnson better be careful.

When asked to by the BBC, Johnson's spokesman declined to comment on the newts.

What a newtsance.

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