SOUTH West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt has called on the Government to follow its own policies and protect local conservation sites from the threat of quarrying. Newly published Government documents stress the need to protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), such as the one near Eashing Farm, from the blight caused by quarries. Jeremy said: “Our local sites of special scientific interest contribute greatly to the character of the area and need to be given the protection they deserve. If Government policy emphasises the fact that such areas should be protected from quarrying then there is no reason for sites such as Eashing Farm to even be considered for mineral extraction.”The Charterhouse to Eashing SSSI is nationally important for it's variety of woodland and grassland but the area has been designated as a preferred site in the Surrey Draft Minerals Plan. If this plan is approved it would be highly likely that applications to extract minerals from the area would be approved. This is in inconsistent with national mineral planning policies that would only see applications in such areas approved in “exceptional circumstances”. Jeremy said: ““I know that English Nature share my concerns and I will be working hard to preserve the character of our area by campaigning for the removal of the sites at Eashing Farm and Monkton Lane from the list of preferred locations for quarrying.”