A DESPERATE bid to pressure government ministers into funding long-awaited road improvements at Stonehenge was launched by Salisbury MP Robert Key this week when he called for the ancient monument to be removed from the list of world heritage sites.

Mr Key said that despite a decade of constant promises by the current government to find solutions to the traffic problems of Stonehenge - and the misery the snarl-ups inflict on local people - nothing had been done.

Roads minister Stephen Ladyman ordered a review of all of the options for improving the situation on the A303 trunk road past the stones, after revealing in July 2005 that the cost of a bored tunnel scheme had rocketed to £470m.

A wide-ranging consultation was later carried out on the options, but more than a year after that exercise was completed no verdict had been delivered. And as recently as last week Mr Key was told it was now unlikely any decision would be announced until the end of this year.

A controversial £67.5m new visitor centre for Stonehenge - to be built east of the Countess roundabout in Amesbury - was finally given approval this spring.

But a start on the project is dependent on the A303 scheme, which involves a flyover at Countess Road, a 2.1km bored tunnel, a bypass around Winterbourne Stoke and junction improvements at Longbarrow crossroads.

Now Mr Key has written to the chief executive of the world heritage sites committee at Unesco, asking for Stonehenge to be put on the endangered sites register or removed from the list of world heritage sites altogether.

"I have done this to draw attention to the Government's failure to deliver a roads scheme after all these years, which is something that impacts on the lives of people living in the vicinity of the A303, including villagers at Winterbourne Stoke, Chicklade, Durrington, Amesbury and the whole of the Till Valley.

"I feel angry for them and for all of the people involved with Stonehenge. It is time the Government was held to account for their failure."

Mr Key said he was also worried about the future of the visitor centre project.

"The further the roads scheme slips back, the further the visitor centre slips back and I am fearful the project's £23m lottery grant will end up getting diverted to the Olympics fund."

Mr Key added: "Since Stonehenge was designated a world heritage site in 1986 some £25m has been spent on road improvement studies, alternative options and consultations. But 21 years on we are still waiting for something to happen. The Government is just cocking a snook at the world heritage site committee."

English Heritage has responded to Mr Key's action by saying it does not want 5,000-year-old Stonehenge removed from the list of world heritage sites.

"Stonehenge is the greatest achievement of prehistoric culture in Europe, and is surrounded by an archaeologically rich landscape without parallel," said a spokesman.

"Visiting Stonehenge is still an inspiring experience and offers the visitor an incredible insight into prehistory cultures. But we do share Mr Key's frustration and can only reiterate that we are very disappointed with what seems to be a further delay in the Government's announcement on its plan for the A303 at Stonehenge."