A NEW pond at a nature reserve near Worcester is thriving with newts after waking from their hibernation.

work on the pond margins at The Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve, in Alfrick Pound, was finishing when the newts were discovered.

A Worcestershire Wildlife Trust colleague noticed a smooth newt before finding ten others in deeper sections of the pond on Thursday (March 16).

Pictures taken by Becca Bratt show the newts in the pond, and staff hard at work finishing the pond.

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust said it means the newts have moved in after a week of having a new home.

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A spokesperson for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust said: "It is great to see that this new pond at The Knapp and Papermill nature reserve is already attracting them.

"Now that spring has arrived, newts are waking from winter hibernation and are returning to their breeding ponds."

There are three species of newts that are found in the UK, which are smooth, palmate and great crested newts, with smooth newts being the most common in Worcestershire.

Smooth newts are often found garden ponds, and when they’re not in ponds, they hide away in nearby 'nooks and crannies'.

Palmate newts are associated with acidy habitats, and are more common in the north of Worcestershire.

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Great crested newts can be common, but their populations have suffered large declines in recent decades and they’re now fully protected by law.

The trail around the Knapp and Papermill starts in an apple orchard with old lichen-encrusted trees that attract nuthatches and green woodpeckers. 

The trail takes visitors along Leigh Brook, around meadows and through woodland.