Despite of almost twenty years of protection, thousands of miles of English hedgerow are still be grubbed out at great cost to wildlife and the landscape, according to figures published yesterday.

A survey by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) reveals that some 26,000 kilometres of hedgerows – more than 10,000 miles – disappeared between 1998 and 2007.

The good news is that 42% of the nation’s hedges are now protected – an increase of 18% in that decade – but the rate of loss is still too high. As a result, the CPRE has launched an on-line protection campaign.

The mania for removing hedgerows to create larger fields was backed by the doomed Ministry of Agriculture in the mid 20th Century and farmers were offered generous grants to grub them out: the idea was to increase food production.

But in the 1990s, it was realised that the loss of these vital habitats – many of which were centuries old – was causing disastrous losses to species of birds, small mammals, insects and rare plants.

At turn of the century, farmers were still being offered grants to grub them out but also another new subsidy to replant them. It was claimed at the time that some unscrupulous operators were destroying old hedges and replacing them with new ones to earn both subsides.

It was then that the current protection regulations were introduced but although they have achieved some success, the CPRE believes that they should be further strengthened.

Says the campaign’s rural policy campaigner Emma Marrington: “Hedgerows are one of the most iconic features of the English landscape and it’s important we do everything we can to halt and reverse their loss and degradation.

“Our survey shows that the hedgerows regulations have made a positive difference, but it also makes clear that improvements can and should be made.”