Meet Freya: the UK's first newt detection dog

Wessex water has become the first utility company in the country to employ its own newt-detection dog.

Freya the Springer Spaniel, along with her handler Nikki Glover, has been brought in by the water company to sniff out the Great Crested Newts during maintenance works.

Great Crested Newts are a protected species and, in order to comply with EU and UK law, companies need to ensure they don't harm any nests when carrying out works and repairs.

Freya has been trained specifically to detect the newts, and her trainers say her dedication to finding the animals make her a perfect employee.

Wessex Water say having an in-house detection dog is the way forward, and other utility companies are said to be following suit.