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A former Green Party councillor spent years trying to block vital safety upgrades to the A47.

 

The case reached the Supreme Court last year, which dismissed it for having ‘no logical basis’.

 

A top judge even said it had ‘an air of complete unreality’. So why was he able to waste years of the court’s time and squander tens of millions of pounds of taxpayer money?

 

There are countless more examples of Nimbys and zealots gumming up the legal system often for their own ideological blindspots to stop the Government building the infrastructure the country needs.

 

They know they have no chance of winning, they just want to drag it out in hopes that government or industry give up.

 

They want to win for themselves, not for the country.

 

It’s like Extinction Rebellion activists who block the motorway at rush hour, without a care for the hard-working people going about their lives.

 

An activist group prevented the development of an East Anglia wind farm for over two years, robbing people of lower bills and good jobs.And another group delayed the Sizewell C nuclear plant with similar unsuccessful claims.

 

And it is fear of challenge which leads to the ridiculous spectacle of the £100 million bat tunnel for HS2 or the proposal to install an ‘acoustic fish deterrent’ – 288 underwater speakers designed to scare fish away from Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. I wish I was joking.

 

More than half of all decisions on major infrastructure in this country were taken to court, holding us back and stifling growth.

 

I was the country’s chief prosecutor, locking up criminals and keeping the country safe.

 

So I know how important it is that people can access justice when there is a genuine case to be made.

 

But Mail readers will agree that a small minority should not be able to abuse our legal system to hold the country to ransom.

 

The current rules don’t work. Cases that are unarguable and unwinnable can be brought back to the courts three times. That causes years of delay. It costs hundreds of millions of pounds.

 

It clogs up the courts. And strangles growth.The entire country pays the price. Roads and railways are left in disrepair, ruining important journeys. Houses for hard-working Brits aren’t built. Businesses are hit by higher costs.

 

And for what? So some people can pat themselves on the back, while others can’t get to work or afford a home. At best, it’s naive. At worst, it’s self-righteous virtue-signalling.