Blair urged to act over Stonehenge

Prime Minister Tony Blair should intervene in the "disgrace" of the Stonehenge road saga, the RAC Foundation has said.

The foundation favours putting the A303 at the Wiltshire site into a deep-bored tunnel - a £510 million option being re-examined by the Government on cost grounds.

The foundation said it had written to Mr Blair, asking him to "cut through departmental inertia and get some action".

A 1.3 mile tunnel was recommended after a public inquiry, but was put on hold by the Department for Transport because of the rising cost of the scheme.

The foundation said a tunnel had substantial support across the archaeological spectrum, including English Heritage, the UK Committee of UNESCO, the Society of Antiquaries of London, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Archaeology and archaeologists specifically concerned with Stonehenge.

The tunnel option is also backed by local councils, local MPs, tourist bodies and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

In his letter to Mr Blair, RAC Foundation chairman David Holmes said: "I am writing to appeal to you to resolve the indecision which is delaying a desperately needed improvement to a major route to the south west, and preventing the Stonehenge World Heritage Site from being restored to the setting which it deserves.

"Only you have the authority to cut through departmental inertia and get some action."

Mr Holmes also said: "Because the cost estimate for the scheme rose to £510 million, the Department for Transport insisted on re-examining some of the options which the public inquiry ruled out.

"This is a backwards step, as any of these alternatives would have to be the subject of further consultation and full public inquiries. None could start for a decade or more."