Opponents of the Lower Thames Crossing have called for an immediate review of it amid fears about its environmental impact.

The BBC reports that a coalition of conservation groups want Transport Secretary Mark Harper to rethink the plan, voicing concern that the proposed 14-mile (23km) tunnel linking Kent and Essex will destroy ancient woodland and other habitats while increasing pollution.

The report explains that the coalition, which includes the Campaign for Rural England (CPRE) and the Woodland Trust, said a range of habitats and landscapes in Kent and Essex were under threat, and the project could become “England’s most damaging road scheme for a generation”.

In a letter to Mr Harper, they said: “We are troubled both by the impacts of the scheme, the huge cost and low economic benefits, and by a consultative approach taken thus far that has been far from transparent.”

National Highways has said the crossing would be the “greenest road” in the UK.

(Picture – National Highways)