A report backed by other conservation groups calls on the government to take urgent action.

BBC correspondent Margaret Gilmore: "Stiffer penalties for those who pollute"

The council says industrial pollution, bad management and urban development are destroying the country's soil and, in turn, the countryside.

Soil is critical for agriculture; it also acts as a filter and reservoir for our drinking water.

CPRE's Soil Charter says farmers and landowners should not be given agricultural subsidies unless they prove they can look after the soil.

It wants extra subsidies for organic farming and other soil-friendly land practices. It also calls for better protection against development and stiffer penalties for those who pollute the soil.

The charter has been supported by a range of environmental and farming organisations including the Council for British Archaeology, Royal Society for Protection of Birds and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Farmers are supporting the charter

The campaign is being fronted by gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who said: "Soil is not just dirt or the sole interest of farmers or gardeners - it is a vital living resource upon which we all depend.

"We owe much more to soil than many would believe.

"The variation in soils underpins the beauty and diversity of the English landscape."

The CPRE is calling for better soil management and a greater support for organic farming and other "soil friendly" land management practices.