has spent a staggering £1m - to save newts.

The taxpayer-owned airport has paid out the money over the last five years to protect newts living around Runway 2.

But even before the £172m runway opened in February 2001, more than £3m was spent re-homing 4,500 great crested newts and more than 30,000 other amphibians.

Another £1/2m has been spent since 2005 protecting newts, bats and other rare species across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The cash has been paid out to comply with European laws.

Cheshire spent £61,000 in just 10 months on great crested newts alone and Stockport paid out £20,000 creating a home for newts while building work was carried out on a school.

Other Greater Manchester councils said they had not had to pay for measures over the five-year period.

But the total bill for protecting newts and other protected species is likely to be much higher as these figures do not include the thousands spent by private developers across the region. They face hefty fines if they fail to relocate the animals when their habitats are put at risk by planning applications.

The M.E.N. compiled the figures after Cheshire county council revealed its £60,000 bill to relocate four great crested newts to make way for developments at a Macclesfield school.

European law makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure or kill a protected species or damage or destroy its breeding or resting place.

Cheshire councillor Barrie Hardern is appealing to Brussels to review the law. He said: "I will be asking European ministers to consider a fairer option which would see areas where there is a higher population given the opportunity to invest in the environment and wildlife in another way."

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: "We have a 15 year plan to maintain and protect all ecological species - especially protected great crested newts, bats and badgers."