A WORCESTERSHIRE MP launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Parliament yesterday, urging him to rule out building two new eco-towns in the county.

Peter Luff, the Conservative member for Mid Worcestershire, took Mr Brown to task at Prime Minister's Questions for describing eco-towns as "popular", and demanded that proposals to build new settlements at Throckmorton and Long Marston be dropped immediately.

The Labour Government wants to build 10 new carbon-neutral towns around the country in the coming years as part of its response to Britain's housing shortage, and Throckmorton and Long Marston are two of the sites being put forward by developers.

A final decision on the location of the new towns will be made at the end of this month.

Mr Luff has long-expressed his opposition to the proposed towns, and yesterday he told Mr Brown: "Bizarrely, twice today in Prime Minister's Questions you have referred to the popularity' of eco-towns.

"Obviously, you are not aware of the overwhelming opposition to them in my constituency.

"If you're capable of taking a decision, and want to prove you're a true democrat, you would take this opportunity to rule out both those sites now."

Mr Brown, however, said the Conservative Party was against eco-towns and "against building homes altogether".

He added: "As far as I can see, there have been 60 applications for eco-towns. That doesn't sound like they are unpopular, it sounds like they are popular.

"And once again the Conservative Party are on the wrong side of the argument."