HUHNE CRITICISES GOVERNMENTS FAILURE TO PROTECT LOCAL NATURE SITES

10.45.44am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 7th Mar 2007

Under new regulations proposed by the government the River Itchen and Moorgreen Meadows both sites of specific scientific interest would be left unprotected from environmental damage.

The Government seems to have done all in its power to dilute this law and to provide loopholes for polluters

The government is currently drawing up legislation to implement European environmental regulations which would make businesses financially and legally accountable for the environmental damage they cause.

Under the government proposals the law is set to be applied in its weakest form. This would leave many British wildlife species and Sites of Special Scientific Interest without the protection of the regulations.

This is an enormous opportunity to protect the environment, the directive was issued with the specific intention of making the polluter pay yet the Government seems to have done all in its power to dilute this law and to provide loopholes for polluters.

The Government seems willing to leave 375 wildlife species and over three thousand protected sites across Britain woefully unprotected including the River Itchen and Moorgreen Meadows in Eastleigh.

These laws were intended to protect environmental sites throughout the country, but the Government's watering down of the regulations will lead to further environmental damage and will see the taxpayer, and not the polluter, foot the bill.

I will continue to fight for both the River Itchen and Moorgreen Meadows to be given protection under the European Liability Directive, and will press the Government's to introduce a strict based liability for environmental damage