'Top Gear' accused over Botswana piece

Top Gear has been accused of causing damage to salt pans in Botswana that will last for decades.

Conservationists said driving vehicles over the Makgadikgadi pans has left marks that will remain for years.

David Dugmore, a guide in the country, commented: "The thing that worries me is the viewers and public that are going to go out to the lakes, and we will end up with every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes up, with vehicles and quad bikes, which will absolutely spoil the place."

A BBC spokeswoman defended the piece. "We employed several environmental experts who advised us on where we could and couldn't go," she said, adding that producers ensured no conservation areas were touched.