Ministers are being faced with complaints over a 13-year failure to stop breaches of the law that protects Scotland’s precious landscape, environment and wildlife.

Scots environmental justice charity Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) has presented new concerns to the Scottish Government over the nation’s ‘unaffordable’ court system as it emerged campaigners had been forced to find a loophole to ensure that legitimate complaints that should be dealt with in front of a judge are paid for by the taxpayer.

And former co-convener of the Scottish Greens, Maggie Chapman has lodged a motion with the Scottish Parliament seeking cross-party support for action that ensure the nation stops breaching international law.