Ilkeston station work set to start in the autumn

The new station will link Ilkeston with Nottingham, Chesterfield and Sheffield

Work to build a railway station in Derbyshire could start in September, following delays due to flooding and the discovery of protected newts.

Ilkeston station was initially given the go-ahead in 2013 and had been expected to be in operation by now.

Great crested newts, which are protected by law, were found at the site in the winter halting work while they were moved elsewhere.

Derbyshire County Council said the station should open next year.

It said it had to seek new planning permission following advice from the Environment Agency over flooding concerns.

To keep on budget the design had to be changed. That included shortening the platforms.

Ilkeston is one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station.

The town once had three stations but the last one closed in 1967 as a result of the Beeching Report, published in 1963.

The new facility, part-funded from the government's New Station Fund, will link Ilkeston with Nottingham, Chesterfield and Sheffield.

Great crested newts

• The amphibians are a protected species and are endangered largely due to habitat loss

• The animals, their eggs, their breeding sites and resting places are all conserved by European law

• If a person is found guilty of killing or disturbing them deliberately they could face a six-month prison sentence

• A licence from Natural England is needed in order to move them

• Derbyshire County Council said it has now cleared the construction area of great crested newts