It would be an “act of folly” for the Government to go ahead with controversial eco-towns without learning lessons from the problems facing new towns such as Telford and Redditch, senior MPs have warned.

Ministers should delay building of the eco-towns according to the influential Commons Communities and Local Government Committee.

The committee, which includes Warwickshire MP Bill Olner (Lab Nuneaton), compared the planned eco-towns to 22 new towns established between 1946 and 1970 designed to create better environments for residents away from the smog and overcrowding of the major cities.

The report highlights an inquiry six years ago which concluded that many new towns suffered from “major problems” including crumbling infrastructure and social and economic problems.

The MPs warned: “It is very surprising that the new towns ‘experiment’ has never been evaluated.”

New towns suffered from a range of problems but the most serious were poor public transport, caused partly by low population densities, badly-designed town centres and poor housing which was built at low cost 20 or 30 years ago and had not stood the test of time, according to the report.

It highlighted comments by Telford & Wrekin Council, which warned the earlier inquiry that “cash strapped” local authorities did not have the resources to improve facilities.

Earlier this week, plans for a 5,000-home eco-town near Lichfield in Staffordshire were withdrawn by developers. But a proposed 6,000 home eco-town proposal for Long Marston remains on the table despite widespread public opposition.

Campaigners from Better Accessible Responsible Development, or BARD, have organised a series of protests. MPs including John Maples (Con Stratford), Peter Luff (Con Mid Worcestershire) and Geoffrey-Clifton Brown (Con The Cotswolds), whose constituencies would all be affected, are opposing the scheme.

They argue that the proposed development would actually damage the environment by increasing car use, because residents would be forced to travel to work in other towns and cities.

Mr Luff said: “I hope the Government pays attention to the committee’s report. The trouble with an experiment like the eco town scheme is that you are playing with people’s lives, so you must be cautious.

“We musn’t condemn 20,000 people, as the Government risks doing, to living in a remote eco-slum.”

But developers St Modwen and the Bird Group argue their proposed town would be one of the first in the UK to be carbon neutral and powered entirely by recycled material, allowing residents to benefit from sharply lower fuel bills.

About one-third of the new dwellings would be low-cost homes, relieving development pressures from surrounding Warwickshire villages.

Government ministers claim opposition to eco-towns does not reflect the views of would-be first time buyers who are desperate to get on the housing ladder.