Hereford MP wants more of Herefordshire's nature protected

Parts of Herefordshire, including the Malvern Hills, are already National Landscapes

An MP wants more areas of nature in Herefordshire to be protected.

After the government announced England will get a new National Park, Jesse Norman said he wanted more of the county to be a National Landscape.

Ministers added £15m funding would also go towards the country's existing national parks and 34 National Landscapes, formally known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Mr Norman said more protected spaces would boost local moral and tourism.

"It reminds everyone what a phenomenal place it is to visit," he said, and added people living in those areas would "feel you're somewhere really special".

Jesse Norman said designating more areas in the county as National Landscapes would boost moral for locals

Parts of Herefordshire are already National Landscapes including Wye Valley and the Malvern Hills.

But Mr Norman said he wanted a bigger area which he pitched as "A Shires National Landscape", centred on Herefordshire but which could also include parts of the Welsh Marches, which cross over into the county.

It would take visitors from Symonds Yat to the Black Mountains, from the Malvern Hills to the Monnow Valley, Mr Norman told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

National Parks are areas of countryside that include villages and towns where they have an authority to help look after them, including planning controls.

While National Landscapes have the same legal protection for their landscape, they are looked after by partnerships between local communities and local authorities.