An urgent call has been issued for ambitious and robust environment strategies in Northern Ireland.

Alliance representative John Blair MLA spoke about the issue on UN World Environment Day, 05 June.

This year's theme, which focuses on stopping plastic pollution, was described as a "timely reminder of the lingering and lasting damage to our hedgerows, rivers and oceans".

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John Blair said: "This is why NI urgently needs ambitious and robust strategies on the environment and our biodiversity. The absence of a local minister and NI Executive has dangerously delayed progress on all of this. In addition, there needs to be focused action at every level of government to introduce a Green New Deal for each Council area. I am pleased that Alliance had these included in its recent Local government manifesto and has secured our highest proportion of councillors ever to get to work on delivering this. These localised actions, concentrating on the reduction of the use of plastics and a circular economy, need to be driven by and backed up by the functioning government in NI."