Newt in school drain ??

[demicav]

My 8 yr old daughter came home from school today bursting with excitement and rushing to tell me about a newt that was stuck down a drain in the school playground. She spotted it down the drain and informed staff after which the head master fished it out with a grabber of some sort. My daughter insists it had a crest and looked an orange colour, could it have been a great crested ? I know they're rare and protected so it would certainly be an exciting find. The thing is there are no ponds near to the school so don't have a clue where it could have come from. Also where it is now is a mystery as the head was seen leaving the school gates with it but to where ? I may have to do some enquiries tomorrow as I'm a little worried about it.

[GuyF]

Sounds like a strange place for a newt, perhaps it fell down when it was walking across the playground, it's lucky your daughter found it as I don't think it would be able to find much food in a drain. As for a species, Smooth Newts also develop a crest and an orangey belly in breeding season, so it probably depends on the size and whether it had a warty back.
Guy