DORSET conservationists have welcomed the government's announcement about new legislation to help improve marine health.

The draft Marine and Coastal Access Bill, which will be included in the government's draft legislative programme, provides for marine conservation zones and the powers to protect them.

Dorset's coast includes the nationally important Lyme Bay reefs, home to the pink sea fan and sunset cup corals, which are currently at risk from mechanical scallop dredgers.

Hundreds of dead pink sea fans are regularly found on Chesil Beach by volunteers from Dorset Wildlife Trust, washed up after being broken off by the dredgers.

Dorset Wildlife Trust chief executive Simon Cripps welcomed news of the Bill and said: "This Marine Bill contains many measures we have lobbied for and will benefit environmentalists, fishermen and other marine users alike.

"While we can't see it from above the surface, the seas of the UK are badly degraded. This Bill is a great step forward, but the big test will be how quickly it is implemented so that our seas can again return to being healthy and productive."

Wildlife Trusts' chief executive Stephanie Hilborne said: "With this Marine and Coastal Access Bill, we've finally laid the foundations for the protection of our seas.

"The Wildlife Trusts have campaigned for many years for new laws to bring marine conservation into the 21st century and we are delighted that the government has today included the Bill in its draft legislative programme."