THE new Government has been urged to back investment in the offshore wind industry, which already supports dozens of jobs in Essex.

Renewable UK, the body which represents the green power industry, believes offshore energy has the potential to create substantial further employment and wealth for the county Renewable UK’s chief executive, Maria McCaffery, said: “We hope one of the new Government’s priorities will be to act quickly to secure our home-grown energy supplies based on clean sources including wind, wave and tidal power.

“More than 34,000 people owe their livelihoods to the British wind industry, onshore and offshore.”