Illegal quarrying threatens rare landscape

Modern gardening has hit this ancient landscape

One of Britain's rarest habitats is being destroyed to provide stone for garden rockeries, according to research carried out for the Countryside Agency.

Despite being protected by law, limestone pavement is still being illegally quarried.

Only about 3000 hectares remain in the UK of the geological feature created by the erosion of sedimentary rock, formed millions of years ago.

Thousands of tonnes disappears annually and only 3% of the landscape has remained intact.

Water features

The look of the "water-worn" limestone has made it popular with gardeners. It is mostly used for rockeries or water features.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park, which is characterised by its outcrops of limestone pavement, has suffered at the hands of enthusiastic "landscape artists".

Legitimate quarries exist

Even the removal of small slabs from the 12,000-year-old limestone pavements in the Dales, can kill mini ecosystems that live in the crevices.

The Countryside Agency, which advises the government, said 2,500 tonnes of the rock is taken illegally each year in the UK.

The agency said it hoped to raise public awareness of the environmental impact, urging gardeners to find alternatives such as deep-quarried limestone or even artificial substitutes.