Gibraltar Point and Humber: World Heritage Status forms submitted

The two East Coast wetlands could join 33 other UK World Heritage sites

Two wetland areas in Lincolnshire and Humberside are being considered as World Heritage sites.

Gibraltar Point in Skegness and the Humber Estuary have been added to the UK's tentative list.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the National Trust and the Wetlands Trust submitted a joint application for the sites.

If accepted, they will join other sites in the UK with the status, including Westminster Abbey and Hadrian's Wall.

The Humber Estuary is a Special Protection Area along with Gibraltar Point in Skegness

Gibraltar Point and the Humber Estuary are Special Protection Areas and are part of the East Coast Flyway from North Kent to the north bank of the Humber.

It is part of the broader East Atlantic Flyway, one of eight major migration routes for billions of birds each year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The two wetlands will join 33 existing sites in the UK if the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) accepts them.

'Past the first hurdle'

A Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) Environment and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 16 April discussed the application.

Head of Environment at LCC, Chris Miller, said: "Having a prestigious designation on the East Coast is of value to us and will help underpin our obligations for biodiversity and habitat protection."

He also said it could be a "lengthy process" and that they are simply "past the first hurdle".

Committee chairman Ian Carrington added that the committee was "very much behind" the proposal and wished it well.

The committee later agreed to endorse the project and provide assistance to the project leads.