GREEN campaigners welcomed the cancellation of the M4 relief road, which would have crossed protected marshland on the Gwent Levels.

Neil Crumpton, of Friends of the Earth, said: "The scrapping of the unaffordable and traffic-generating Gwent Levels motorway is vital to tackle climate change and cut Wales's carbon emissions.

"It also provides a huge opportunity for the Assembly Government to resolve the M4's increasing safety and maintenance problems by investing in much more cost-effective and less damaging measures along the M4 and other local routes.

"Ieuan Wyn Jones is to be congratulated for taking this bold decision in the face of a growing climate crisis.’’

James Byrne, chairman of the Campaign Against the Levels Motorway, added: "In a time of global recession, global warming and increasing loss of wildlife, we are delighted that the proposed M4 toll road has been scrapped.’’

However, the Conservatives attacked the decision not to go ahead with the M4 relief road or a new road to Cardiff Airport.

Shadow economy minister David Melding said: "It is depressing and disturbing that the two major strategic requirements for the road network in south-east Wales have been scrapped.

"The decision to drop the M4 relief road means there is now no obvious prospect of dealing with congestion around the M4 at Newport by other means.

CBI Wales director David Rosser said: "This is a bad day for the economy in Wales.

"The M4 is the artery that feeds the economic heart of Wales and it is becoming choked.