ONE of the Yorkshire Dales' most important geological features, the rare limestone pavements, have been saved from further desecration by one of the world's largest quarrying combines, it was announced today.

The Hanson Group, which has massive quarrying and mining interests throughout the world, has voluntarily given up its rights to quarry pavements near Ribblehead, although it has planning permissions to do so granted some years ago.

Not only are these pavements extremely rare, they are also home to many threatened plants. But in recent years, stone has been regularly quarried - sometimes illegally - to satisfy demands from gardeners who use it for building rockeries.

While Hanson has never taken advantage of its legal right to quarry limestone pavement at Ribblehead, it has now handed the site to English Nature to be used for nature conservation. Since taking over Horton quarry, Hanson has reversed the previous practice of extracting limestone pavement and told the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority that no more limestone pavement will be removed from the quarry. Eddie Jordan, Hanson Aggregates natural resources manager, said: "To continue this practise, however lucrative, would have been quite unjustifiable and in conflict with our own environmental standards. I hope this sends out a clear message that limestone pavement must be protected."

The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are home to the world's most important areas of limestone pavement. Within the UK there are only 3,000 hectares of pavement and much of this has been damaged.

Dr Tim Thom, an ecologist at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: "We welcome Hanson's decision to prevent limestone pavement removal in the national park, which in turn will protect some of this area's most precious habitats.

"Hanson has recognised the importance of limestone pavements and we would now urge the public to do the same and not to buy any water worn limestone, which today is still causing significant damage to precious habitats in Ireland.

"Instead the public should use alternatives such as artificial stones, increasingly available in garden centres, and by doing so make a significant contribution, like Hanson, to the conservation of the world's biodiversity."