TORY leadership hopeful Michael Gove has revealed his secret passion for seahorses, the tiny creatures which have achieved special protection in Studland Bay.

The Seahorse Trust's Neil Garrick-Maidment revealed Mr Gove's enthusiasm as he celebrated the declaration of Studland Bay as one of the new Marine Conservation Zones.

"I particularly would like to thank Sir Hugo Swire MP who facilitated the meetings last year with Michael Gove who in his own words during our meeting said, ‘I totally get seahorses, we need to protect them’," said Mr Garrick-Maidment.

He also thanked Joan Edwards, Head of Marine for the Wildlife Trusts for supporting a petition to protect the site, which achieved over 253,000 signatures.

In a statement declaring the Marine Conservation Area a so-called 'blue belt', the government said: "The shallow, sandy seabed provides the ideal habitat for dense seagrass meadows to form."

The seagrasses provide cover and shelter for a variety of fish and invertebrate species.

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