WILDLIFE havens in Worcestershire could be under threat if the House of Lords backlog continues to delay the progress of a countryside bill, warns the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

The organisation claims many of the county's finest wildlife areas could be endangered if the Government's Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Bill is dropped due to pressures in the parliamentary timetable.

The CROW Bill, due to be considered at committee stage in the House of Lords, includes measures that will help strengthen and secure a lasting future for the wildlife of England and Wales, and powers to address cases of deliberate damage and neglect.

Nationally, a great number of wildlife havens officially designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), have suffered dramatically from damage and neglect.

Recent statistics reveal that 40% of England's SSSIs, once rich in plants and animals, are in poor or declining condition.

Wildlife trusts are urging the Government not to drop its Countryside Bill, saying it will provide much-needed legal protection for these areas against deliberate damage and neglect.

Worcestershire is appealing to its members and the public to contact their MPs and ask them to write to the Prime Minister.

Andrew Fraser, countryside manager at the trust is concerned that a piece of legislation that enjoys such widespread support could fall at the

"Without legal protection our hands are tied," he said. "We cannot effectively protect our wildlife against wanton and wilful damage.

These sites should have been protected years ago. Now we are faced with the fact that even this protection, that as far as wildlife in general is concerned is too little too late, may not even see the light of day."