THE nation's champion of wild plants says County Durham is killing off its native species at the rate of one every 15 months.

The alarming figures put the county in fifth place in the league of worst offenders. It has lost 68 different species since records started in 1900, including the corncockle, alpine foxtail, nodding bur-marigold and field gromwels.

Prof David Bellamy is president of Plantlife, Britain's only national membership charity dedicated exclusively to conserving all forms of plant life in its natural habitat. It has produced a review entitled "Where have all the flowers gone?"

Its conclusions have been drawn by botanist, Mr Peter Marren, who analysed 14 county floras - the comprehensive record of plants found in a specific county - to discover the true status of England's wild flowers.

Startling statistics, never available before, show that many native species steadily declined throughout the 20th century, though most species in decline are not necessarily nationally endangered.

Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire and Middlesex had an even higher rate of decline than Durham, which was followed by Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Surrey, Essex, Suffolk, Cheshire, South Lancashire, Sussex and Norfolk.

Rural counties are as hard hit as predominantly urban ones, and the review suggests this is because farm chemicals are equally as damaging to the landscape as bricks and mortar.

Rising soil nutrient levels and falling water tables in the latter half of the last century also had a disastrous effect on wild plant populations.

Mr Martin Harper, Plantlife's conservation director, said: "The loss of so many species at a local level last century is appalling. There is no evidence to suggest that the rate of decline is slowing down. In fact, based on current trends, it looks as though we might lose one species from each county this year.

"Certainly more local extinctions will follow, and sooner or later another species will become nationally extinct. A typical English county in the 21st century is awash with chemicals - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous - from farm fertilisers and air pollutants.

"Vigorous, aggressive plants which flourish in fertile soils are taking over our countryside, swamping the majority of wildflowers that thrive best in naturally infertile conditions. Is this the countryside we want for our grandchildren?"

Plantlife urges everyone to work to reverse these declines by preventing habitat destruction and neglect; by stopping environment, and particularly water, pollution and by changing damaging agricultural practices.

With support from Timotei shampoo, Plantlife has bought 14 wildflower meadows, one of Britain's most threatened habitats. In addition it has eight nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom.

It aims to influence government to reduce threats to British native flora and to this end it has lobbied for the full implementation of the EU habitats and species directive and the convention on biological diversity. It is also lobbying for a major reform of the 1981 wildlife and countryside act.

The public can help by joining Plantlife and supporting its campaign to protect wild flowers. More information is available on the web site www.plantlife.org.uk or by writing to Plantlife, 21 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RP.