A rail route backed by chancellor Rachel Reeves – who played down consideration of bats and newts in development – has been fraught with fears it will wipe out bats and their habitats.

Cambridgeshire County Council this month warned of a potentially catastrophic effect on barbastelle bats of the East West Rail project, a new rail link between Oxford and Cambridge.

The scheme could be “unacceptable” and have a "catastrophic” impact on their population, including “in the worst-case scenario, loss of the maternity roost”, the council said.