Tottenham Hotspur’s £30m training facility could be at risk of having its planning application rejected after the discovery of a colony of protected bats.

English Nature has ordered an ecological study of the site, which must be completed before any work can begin.

The 56-acre green belt site in Enfield is reportedly home to six species of bats, including the endangered barbastelle.

The barbastelle bat, with its distinctive pug-like face, is extremely rare in Britain. The Warwickshire Bat Group claims that there are only four breeding colonies known in the UK.

According to the Evening Standard, if the barbastelles are found to be roosting at the site, Spurs would likely be back at square one. The newspaper reported that a £54m interchange on the M40 in Warwickshire also had to be rerouted because of a bat habitation.

The huge proposed training facility, which features 12 outdoor pitches, has already met a raft of objection due to its encroachment on green belt land. Details: www.tottenhamhotspur.com