Report highlights environmental dangers of leaving EU

Independent review says EU rules, such as on clean water and wildlife protection, have benefited UK's environment

EU membership has been a major factor behind the "marked improvement in environmental quality in the UK" since the 1980s, according to an independent report into the potential impact of a leave vote in the June referendum.

The 60,000-word report, from the group The UK in a Changing Europe, found that the net result on the UK's environment from EU membership had been positive and that leaving the union would be risky and could damage key green protections. It said that actions taken to fulfil EU obligations, for instance on clean water and wildlife protection, had been beneficial to the UK's environment, along with EU policies that have helped infrastructure investments, for instance in renewable energy.