A MEETING has been held to discuss the protection of wildlife sites on Teesside.

The Environment Agency teamed up with English Nature and the Billingham-based Industry and Nature Conservation Association (INCA) to provide information to businesses on the Habitats Directive.

A piece of European legislation, the directive aims to help protect biodiversity through the conservation of habitats and species.

Representatives from many of Teesside's main industries, as well as smaller businesses, were at the meeting, which provided information on the Environment Agency's work towards compliance with the directive.

The regulations affect a wide range of people and organisations, whose activities can impact on areas of wildlife, such as the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast Special Protection Area.

The Agency has to review its permissions, such as waste management licences, consents to discharge and licences to abstract water, to make sure they do not cause harm.

Viki Hirst, of the Environment Agency, said: "The Teesmouth and Cleveland site is important for a wide variety of birds of European importance, including sandwich and little terns, knot, redshank, shelduck, shoveler, lapwing and waterfowl.

"We hope the day was useful for the people who come along and gave everyone a greater understanding of the aims of the Habitats Directive."