It is not a common occurrence that a hotel has guests it cannot find – but that is the challenge facing the owners of one Shropshire country house.

Rare great crested newts are thought to have been spotted in a recently completed wild- life pond at Hadley Park House in Telford.

But when wildlife officials visited the site to confirm the find they were nowhere to be seen.

Now staff and guests at the hotel are mounting regular vigils to confirm the protected species has taken up residence in the grounds.

Mark Lewis, hotel owner, said: “We’ve created a lovely wildlife habitat for our guests to enjoy and within weeks great crested newts were seen in the water.

“We’re pretty confident that’s what they were, but when an officer from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust visited to confirm it the newts were obviously not feeling sociable.

“Now we’re regularly out trying to spot them because it’s important to know for a fact they are there.

“The great crested newt is a rare and protected species, so we need to do all we can to make sure the habitat is managed with their welfare in mind.

“It’s proving to be a fascinating challenge for our guests.”

Great crested newts are protected under UK and European law because their numbers have plummeted over the last century with the loss of suitable ponds and the spread of intensive agriculture.

Trust sites and planning officer Viv Geen said the habitat was a delight, even though the great crested newts were nowhere to be seen when she carried out a night-time vigil.

“It’s a possibility they are there because they have been recorded at another site in Hortonwood, but we don’t know for sure at the moment,” she said.

“We can’t always say they are not there, particularly with a deep pond like that, but it is early days.

By Carl Jones