Concerns have been raised over the impact the political deadlock at Stormont will have on tackling climate change in Northern Ireland.

A recent report by the Westminster Environmental Audit Committee states Britain will suffer 7,000 heat-related deaths every year by 2050 unless the UK Government does not take decisive action.

Mary Creagh MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, said: "The Met Office has projected that UK summer temperatures could regularly reach 38.5°C by the 2040s.

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"The Government must stop playing pass the parcel with local councils and the NHS and develop a strategy to protect our ageing population from this increasing risk. The Government needs to do more to warn the public of the health risks of heatwaves, particularly when they fall outside of the summer period, and should appoint a minister to lead work across Government."

However, Alliance Councillor Kate Nicholl said Northern Ireland is the only region without its own legislation on climate change and is lagging behind the rest of the UK.

"As long as there is no Executive and therefore no functioning Assembly Environment Committee, there is a real risk Northern Ireland gets even further left behind the rest of the UK when it comes to this issue," she said.

"We need the urgent return of devolution and a plan put in place before it's too late."

(LM/MH)