AN independent councillor has launched a fierce tirade on Preston Borough Council for not honouring its commitments to protect wildlife.

Coun Terry Cartwright has attacked a council strategy plan, produced in conjunction with Lancashire Wildlife Trust, outlining its ongoing commitment to wildlife in the borough.

The leaflet spells out how the council will 'maintain and reverse the trend of hedgerow loss throughout the borough'.

But, Coun Cartwright says there have been at least three recent cases where hedgerows have been ripped up by culprits including North West Water, at a site in Manor House Lane, off Blackpool Road, Preston.

The company allowed their contractors to destroy the hedge in order to make way for a fence 12 months ago.

Now, the Deepdale councillor is demanding an explanation in to how a council policy document can be "so blatantly ignored". Coun Cartwright blasted: "Preston's planning department are not environmentalists and I stand by the statement.

"What's the point of ripping out lovely hawthorn hedges and putting up a wall or a fence. It's a complete nonsense. There won't be any greenery left in Preston if this carries on." A spokesperson for North West Water said: "The Environment Agency asked us to make improvements to the area, which meant that to improve access to our site we had to remove some of the hedges.

"However, we fully intend to re-plant the lost hedges in the planting season sometime in November or December."

Preston Borough Council confirmed although they are committed to protecting wildlife and habitat, they had given permission to North West Water to remove a section of young hedgerow -- on the condition that it had to be replanted after the work is competed later this year.