Lundy island is surrounded by the dredging study area

Councillor Rodney Cann said: "When I saw that the Welsh assembly were doing a study of the Bristol Channel the alarm bells started to ring, because in the past there have been various attempts to increase mineral and gravel extraction.

"It has raised suggestions that it has put at risk our beaches, interfered with the fishing beds and put quite a lot of the ecology round our coastline at risk.

"The area of study comes within a few miles of north Devon and in particular Lundy island, which is a matter of major concern."

In May, Somerset Wildlife Trust objected to bids to extract 15 million tons of sand in the Channel between Minehead and Weston-super-Mare.

Dredging go-ahead

It said no further licences should be issued until the consequences were understood.

In June, Welsh assembly environment minister Sue Essex granted an eight-month extension to dredging licenses in other parts of the Bristol Channel, to safeguard the future of companies involved.

Lundy's seabed is rich in marine life

The new policy document says that dredging is acceptable in some parts of the channel.

It says detailed environmental assessments must be done before licences are granted.

But critics say it apparently omits to address the impact on the English coast.

A deadline for objections expired on 27 July, but it had to be extended so the English authorities could comment.

Stewart Redding, Devon's minerals officer, said: "I only learned about it towards the end of July and I had to do a hasty report."

Mr Redding's report urged councillors, meeting on Wednesday, to press for a study on the English side by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

It also wanted the Welsh assembly to clarify its policy on the area around Lundy - which is "wholly within English waters."