A GREEN MEP who represents Oxford has warned leaving the European Union could threaten the environment.

Keith Taylor, who represents South East England in the European Parliament, welcomed a report released by academics at the University of York and the University of East Anglia.

The report- The EU Referendum and the UK Environment: An Expert Review- states that a vote to leave the EU in the referendum on June 23 would "create much uncertainty and therefore risks for UK environmental governance, policy and quality."

It analysed the environmental, climate, energy and agricultural impact of the UK's membership of the EU.

Mr Taylor said: "I’m pleased to welcome this thorough and balanced report, which clearly highlights the significant and potentially calamitous environmental consequences of the UK leaving the EU.

"The EU is responsible for around 80 per cent of all environmental laws in the UK and there are countless examples where the EU has driven positive change.

"It is these shared laws which are working effectively to make our beaches cleaner, our air less polluted and our wildlife safer."