Garden centres to be banned from selling peat compost in bid to limit carbon emissions
Legally binding targets to protect animals such as hedgehogs and red squirrels also included in raft of new environmental measures
18 May 2021 • 6:00am
Red squirrels and other at-risk animals will be granted new protections under the plans to be announced today
Garden centres will be banned from selling peat-based compost under Government plans to protect the natural world and limit carbon emissions, the Environment Secretary will announce on Tuesday.
Legally binding targets to protect numbers of at-risk animals such as red squirrels and hedgehogs by 2030 will also be unveiled alongside the trebling of tree planting by the end of 2024.
Britain may lose future Lindow Man discoveries to damaged peat bogs, archaeologists warn
Restoration projects to repair crucial peat bogs are becoming more common, but they don t always preserve archaeological heritage
15 May 2021 • 2:44pm
Lindow Man is the preserved bog body of a man discovered in a peat bog at Lindow Moss near Wilmslow in Cheshire, North West England
Credit: Universal History Archive
Lindow Man is a national treasure admired by thousands at the British Museum.
But stunning “bog body” discoveries may become a thing of the past as peat decline destroys our archaeological heritage, archaeologists have warned.
Intact peat is a highly effective preservative, keeping items including wood, cloth and human remains in good condition for thousands of years.