Bid to cut pollution risk to coastline.

Byline: By Vince Gledhill

Three North areas named in report

Three of our most beautiful coastal spots are at risk from pollution.

A Government report aimed at safeguarding the nation's coastline identifies 32 places at particular risk of pollution from merchant shipping, including the Farne Islands, Holy Island and Berwick.

To give them extra protection, all 32 have been classed as Marine Environmental High Risk Areas.

Announcing this, the Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said the prime purpose of the new classification was to highlight the need for mariners to exercise extra caution.

Their high sensitivity to environmental damage and the risk of pollution from merchant shipping will be stressed on Admiralty maps and in guidance notes to mariners.

The introduction of MEHRAs follows recommendations by the late Lord Donaldson in his report following the Braer tanker disaster off the Shetland Islands in 1993.

The Farnes, Holy Island and Berwick and the other sites, have been picked out after taking into account shipping risk, environmental sensitivity and other environmental protection measures already in place at each location.

Mr Darling said: "The Government has looked carefully at every part of the coastline and assessed the potential impact of commercial shipping on the local environment.

"The purpose of MEHRAs is to inform ships' masters of areas where they need to exercise even more caution than usual.

"This is just part of the information available to mariners to enable them to navigate UK waters safely."

News of the changes was welcomed by Dr Jane Lancaster, Coast European marine site officer for Berwickshire and north Northumberland, based in Morpeth.

She said: "We don't have a huge amount of merchant shipping going past this area, but it is important that this area is protected."

The Farnes and Lindisfarne are already designated as special protection areas for birds and the Berwick Estuary is a special conservation area.

The 120km stretch of coast from Alnmouth to St Abbs Head has been designated as a European special area of conservation.

The designation was introduced to protect the area's rich variety of bird, animal and marine life.

"Britain has 55% of the world's population of grey seals, so if we lost the Farnes population, that would have a major impact," added Dr Lancaster.

"We have been trying for a while to have Admiralty charts changed, so it is good that it will now happen as part of this and mariners will have this cautionary note to be careful".