Dartmoor has several dormant and active quarries

The Council for National Parks (CNP) says there are several old quarrying permits that could be used in the next 40 years in the national park.

It said, if used, such permissions could have potentially disastrous consequences for the landscape, archaeology and nature conservation.

The National Park Authority said if necessary it would always negotiate to minimise any potential damage.

Environmental conditions

The CNP said Dartmoor had six dormant quarries, 16 old permits for extracting minerals and several active quarries. There is also one dormant permit for Exmoor.

The old quarries and permits could be used up until 2042.

The CNP said current laws regulating those existing quarries did not impose modern environmental conditions, so companies operating within the law could damage national parks they worked in.

The council has called for tighter regulation of active quarries and for old dormant quarry permits to be dealt with.

As part of its 2004 to 2005 Performance Plan, the Dartmoor National Park Authority said it expected "some changes to the operation within one of the working quarries and other reclamation work is expected".

But it added: "Usual liaison and negotiations will minimise damage to the national park. No new major developments are anticipated during the year."