The British Deputy Prime Minister, Mr John Prescott, yesterday roundly rejected environmentalists' claims that the Labour government has ignored their pleas to cancel motorways in the battle to save precious habitats and cut pollution.
He said the government was spending £1 billion on public transport and new criteria ensured that all road schemes had to take account of the environmental impact on the surrounding area.
Mr Prescott told BBC radio: "We have never said we don't need roads, that would be stupid. But the resources of £1 billion we are putting in shows the priority we are giving to public transport."