AN MEP said she is “scared witless” of the potential environmental impact of Brexit during a public debate at Brighton’s i360.

Catherine Bearder, Liberal Democrat MEP for southeast England and one of the speakers at the event organised by the European Parliament, criticised the lack of co-ordination from Westminster.

Mrs Bearder said: “They are running around like rabbits in the headlights. I’m not entirely sure they have a clue just how complicated and difficult this is.

“I know many people in Brussels who are being contacted by Westminster to ask them to come back and work there.”

The panel raised questions about how EU environmental protections would be turned into UK law.

Several panel members were sceptical that these laws could be enforced with current levels of funding.

Professor Donald McGillivray, environmental law lecturer at the University of Sussex, highlighted the lack of resources going to environment organisations.

He said: “There have been huge budget cuts to DEFRA and the English and Welsh environment agencies, so enforcement and monitoring is falling through the floor.

“There’s not going to be any information there to report.”

More than 500 environmental regulations have to be amended into UK law.

Professor McGillivray said it was unclear how much of a real say parliament would have in how those laws are changed in the process.

Mrs Bearder called for an office of environmental regulation “with real teeth” to be set up to hold government to account.

Despite the gloom, panellists were also keen to stress reasons for optimism for those worried about nature.

Ali Plummer, senior policy officer at the RSPB, pointed to recent polling by a Conservative think-tank showing broad support for stronger environmental protection.

She said: “We should make sure that rather than just protecting what we have, we put forward ambitious policies to restore nature.”