I dont know where this little fellow came from...good sign having newts as it means the pond is healthy. Here's some info

Palmate Newt (Triturus helveticus)
This is Britain's other small brown newt. It is a little smaller than the Smooth Newt, rarely exceeding 6cm. Adult females are hard to distinguish from female Smooth Newts. The best way to tell them apart is the fact that the throat of the Smooth Newt is spotted and that of the palmate newt is either plain pink or yellow.

The male, in breeding condition, has a low crest along the middle of the back, a filament at the tip of the tail and black webs on the back feet, from which it gets its name as it makes the feet look rather like hands. The dark markings at the side of the head are more marked in the Palmate Newt.
Whilst widely distributed, the Palmate Newt has a definite preference for shallow ponds on acid soils. It is therefore most commonly found on heathland in the south and west, and in the north, on moorland and bogs. The life cycle of the Palmate Newt is very similar to that of the Smooth Newt and they also eat very similar prey. Palmate Newts seem able to withstand dryer conditions than the Smooth Newt and are frequently found a long way from water.

In Great Britain, this species is protected only in as much as sale and trade in any form is prohibited.