Celebrities and MPs push for the government to ban the sale of peat compost to gardeners

MPs and celebrities have urged ministers to bring forward a ban on the sale of peat compost to gardeners.

Former environment secretary Theresa Villiers called for the substance to be outlawed by 2024 to restore peatlands, which are the UK's largest carbon sink.

She proposed a Private Members' Bill yesterday which she said was intended to fulfil a promise made by the Government in 2022.

Her proposals won the backing of environmental campaigners and celebrities worried about the impact peat extraction has on peatlands.

Introducing the Horticultural Peat (Prohibition of Sale) Bill yesterday, Ms Villiers claimed the UK's peatlands contained 'more carbon than the forests of the UK, France and Germany combined'.

However, she said less than 20 per cent of British peatlands are in a near-natural state, with over-grazing and agricultural drainage among the contributing reasons.

Ms Villiers said her Bill was focused on preventing peat extraction for horticulture, telling MPs: 'Extraction degrades the state of the wider landscape, damaging wildlife habitats and reducing peat's capacity to prevent flooding and field water.

'And of course extraction means that stored carbon is released, contributing to climate change.

'This Bill would implement the 2022 commitment made by this Government to prohibit the use of peat products in amateur gardening in England by the end of this year.' The Bill is set to be considered again by MPs on April 26, but is unlikely to become law without the support of the Government.

As well as carbon capture and storage, peatlands provide habitat to some of the UK's most threatened and rare wildlife.

They also filter water and prevent flooding downstream, but draining, burning, and harvesting for compost, means only 13 per cent are in a near-perfect state.

The Government pledged in 2022 that the sale of peat for private gardens and allotments would be banned by the end of this Parliament in 2024, but sales remain legal.

Conservationists say this contributes to the destruction of peatland habitats in the UK and across Europe.

A public consultation, which received 5,000 responses, found 95 per cent of people supported the ban.

Ms Villiers' proposal was attacked by her colleague Sir Christopher Chope, who said attempts to ban the sale of peat-based compost to gardeners are an 'exercise in gesture politics'.

The Christchurch MP also claimed he was making a 'plea on behalf of amateur and professional horticulturalists', as peat substitutes were often not as effective in growing plants.

He said: 'I think it is important to put on record that when the Bill is brought forward it will not go unopposed, because I think that much of the content of this Bill which she has described seems to be disproportionate, not based on science or fact, and another exercise in gesture politics.' Sir Christopher likened the Bill to the smoking ban, saying it was 'another day when the banners seem to want to get out there and destroy legitimate activities that other people are engaged in'.

Celebrities, however, have backed the ban, with actress Alison Steadman, an ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, saying: 'The Government is running out of time to fulfil its promise to ban the sale of peat to gardeners by the end of this parliament.

'Peat belongs in bogs not bags, and it's high time that commitments to ensure a ban are honoured.

'What's left of precious peatlands needs protecting and restoring, not despoiling.' The Royal Horticultural Society also backed the Bill, with Professor Alistair Griffiths of the gardening charity saying many gardeners had already adopted peat-free practices.

A Defra spokesman said: 'We are committed to ending the use of horticultural peat. We agree there is no need to use peat in gardens and there are now many peat-free alternatives on the market.

'Since we set out our proposals to ban the sale of peat in 2022 we have seen a 59 per cent reduction in peat use across the country, and have worked extensively with industry to move towards a full transition to peat-free working.'

The Government will set out its position on the Bill when it reaches a second reading, officials said.