Four new ponds have been built at a reservoir to help support the population of a rare and protected species.

The ponds, to be found at Hanningfield Reservoir, were created by a charity to help protect the reservoir’s population of Great Crested Newts.

Great Crested Newts are black with an orange belly and as amphibians, they breed in ponds during the spring.

They will then spend the rest of their six-to-15-year lifespan feeding on invertebrates in woodland, hedgerows, marshes and grassland.

Froglife Ecological Services (FES) is a charity devoted to the conservation of reptiles and amphibians, as part of the District Level Licencing scheme by Natural England.

Essex and Suffolk Water, which is dedicated to “supporting the local ecology”, has also been part of the project.

Charlotte Bradley, a conservation advisor at Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “As a protected species, Great Crested Newts are of international importance, and we’re very lucky to have them here in Essex.

“We were keen to be part of Natural England’s scheme and are grateful to Froglife Ecological Services for creating the ponds and for the ongoing maintenance, which we have agreed will be in place for the next 25 years.”

It is one of the many ways that Essex & Suffolk Water is delivering on its environment strategy to support local ecology in its area - because water and nature go hand-in-hand. James McAdie, FES operations manager, added: “It has been a pleasure to work with the enthusiastic team here at Essex and Suffolk Water and I am very excited to see how these ponds develop in the future.

“Through the DLL scheme we have already this year created 36 new ponds for GCN and wildlife in general.”

To find out more about Essex & Suffolk Water’s environment strategy, please visit their website: www.nwg.co.uk/responsibility/environment/environment-strategy