A MULTI million pound project to lay a gas pipeline serving Swindon had to take special measures to safe-guard one of Britain's most highly protected amphibians.

The great crested newt is the UK's largest newt, reaching an average adult length of around 14cms. Its population has dropped in recent years.

Transco has laid an £18m pipeline, which runs from Easton Grey to Minety and was officially opened by North Wiltshire MP James Gray.

Gas started flowing through the 48-inch diameter 15.3km long line on November 13, to meet Swindon's increasing need for gas.

The project started on April 5 and the line was completed by the end of October.

Charlie Sirs, the project manager, said that Transco was advised by its project environmentalist that they were crossing land containing ponds that could be inhabited by great crested newts.

"Consultants and the environmental agency also told us that there was the possibility of great crested newts," said Mr Sirs.

"In any project we don't have to find anything, we just have to be aware there is a possibility that because of our operations the great crested newt could be harmed in some way."

A total of 2.4km of tight wire mesh fencing was laid in six locations along the route.

Pots were also laid the other side of the fences so that if a newt got through they could be recovered and returned to the pond.

Mr Sirs said an inspector checked the pots twice daily during work.

"In the duration of the work we trapped one newt, which was one newt in return for an awful lot of

money," said Mr Sirs. He said each landowner was made aware that the fence had to be put up. Improvements were also made to ponds to remove silting and improve planting.

"There were also areas we could not work in until the area was newt-free, so we had to miss little bits out and go back to them later," added Mr Sirs.

Special measures were also taken to avoid disturbing badgers.

The construction of the pipeline had a positive knock-on effect for the local economy, with 286 men employed at the peak of the work in August.

"Apart from local people that we employed there were a lot of people who stayed in accommodation in the area," added Mr Sirs.

He said that Transco had to adhere to strict foot and mouth precautions, including disinfectant areas coming on to sites and pressure hosing the wheels of lorries.

In May surveyors also stumbled across the remains of a Roman villa while carrying out a geophysical survey along the route.

The location was kept a secret to stop people damaging the find.

When the surveyors found the site, archaeologists were able to date it from the fragments of pottery they found in the area.

A further geophysical scan of the area revealed masonry under the ground in the shape of a Roman Villa.

The route of the pipeline was altered in order not to disturb any uncovered archaeological remains.