A woman from Melksham has been raising the alarm on the dangers of plastic grass - taking her campaign all the way to Westminster. 

Charlotte Howard is one of the driving forces behind the campaign asking DEFRA to ban the use of fake turfs due to the risk they pose to the environment, and human health.

The worry is that the PFAS chemicals used in the product have been linked to cancer, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

READ MORE: Wiltshire campaigner takes on government over plastic grass dangers

Yesterday, campaigners went to Westminster to deliver the open letter to MP George Eustice, The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs.

Wiltshire Times: Campaigners take their campaign a step further at Westminster.Campaigners take their campaign a step further at Westminster. (Image: Plastics Rebellion)

Charlotte said: “Our DEFRA HQ went well, with lots of attention, despite most of Westminster being drawn to other things.

“The open letter is also going great guns and has over 630 signatures in just a few days.”

Wiltshire Times: Charlotte Howard, from Melksham.Charlotte Howard, from Melksham. (Image: Victoria Tapper)

A man dressed as a six-foot-tall displaced worm attended the protest, alongside other campaigners who dressed as an ant and a butterfly to deliver the letter, with a huge lump of plastic turf and some pageantry to: “represent some of the biodiversity decimated by artificial grass".

The letter has been signed by academics, campaign groups and naturalists including Chris Packham, Kate Bradbury, The Gallifrey Foundation and City to Sea demanding a ban on the sale of artificial turf in the UK.

Wiltshire Times: Open letter to DEFRA. Photo: Plastics Rebellion.Open letter to DEFRA. Photo: Plastics Rebellion. (Image: Plastics Rebellion)

Direct action group; Plastics Rebellion, which started the letter with Charlotte also attended the protest yesterday (07/09).

Plastics Rebellion said: “It’s nonsense that our government isn’t stepping in to stop the pollution from these extinction carpets.

“In case you missed it, we have three planetary catastrophes unfolding at once; climate, ecosystems and pollution.

“Plastics are at the intersection of all three… Plastic grass pollutes at every stage in its lifecycle, from fracking and cracking the fossil fuels to manufacture it, through to its use and finally to its incineration as it cannot be recycled.

“Even if it could, it’s still thwarting biodiversity and soil health. Plastic packaging is bad enough but carpeting our outside spaces like this is an utterly pointless use of plastic.” 

They added: “We need to cherish nature in our outside spaces, not suffocate it in plastic.”

There have been several petitions against the sale of artificial turf in the UK previously.

In response DEFRA said: “We prefer to help people and companies make the right choice, rather than banning items outright.”