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Ministry claims wind farms interfere with radar

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Defence chiefs have been accused of prolonging Britain's reliance on fossil fuels as it emerged they have sought to block dozens of new wind farms.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has submitted planning objections to 44 of the schemes over concerns they interfere with radars and obscure the vision of low-flying aircraft.

The number of developments opposed by the MoD has risen sharply over the last year, to 23 across 2007.

The scale of the MoD's opposition comes amid increasing concern about the planning obstacles to green energy schemes, voiced by figures including Business Secretary John Hutton.

The British Wind Energy Association has warned that wind farms, crucial to the UK in hitting its renewable energy targets, are being held up by the planning process.

The MoD insists that all of its objections are "absolutely essential".

But Greenpeace accused defence chiefs of holding back progress.

Proposals which run into opposition face demands to be scaled back in terms of the height and number of turbines.

Environmentalists are concerned that attempts to increase the generation of green energy are being thwarted by planning hurdles.

The proportion of applications turned down increased last year, according to the British Wind Energy Association. Some 44 of the projects have come up against defence chiefs over the last three years, including two so far this year.