IT'S early days but all the signs are that the decision to leave the EU will seriously reduce the UK's efforts to cut CO2 emissions and improve environmental performance.

It’s not as bad as the States where the new environmental policy man, Scott Pruitt, denies the basics of climate change science, but our own Owen Paterson, in the past, was more than sceptical, and still has considerable influence with his reactive principle rather than the precautionary one.

He would wait until something goes wrong before acting, rather than anticipating it, and this isn’t helpful as his government supports both genetically modified foods and fracking for natural gas, and has dissolved the Climate Change department.

The real value of the EU environment directives was in the quality of the water we drank and swam in, the air we breathed and the way we dealt with our waste. It was a real struggle as we lagged behind most countries, often being near the bottom.

The various directives meant we could no longer allow untreated sewage to enter the sea, and we had to improve our waste recycling, from a mere 12 percent in 2001, to over 40 now. We have struggled with air quality standards, mainly from vehicle emissions, and have needed European court action to encourage us.

In 2014 we exceeded the nitrogen dioxide levels, from diesel cars, a noted respiratory danger, in 37 out of 43 zones and were challenged in the European court. It has taken eighteen months to come up with plans to reduce the levels in just five areas, and, following the decision to leave the EU, I suspect we will be breathing particulates for years to come.

Future policy direction is clear as pesticide promoting, farming and fishery minister, George Eustace, reckons that EU nature protection is spirit crushing!