The following press release was sent to local and national press today: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Campaigners are calling for an urgent halt on gas drilling plans in Sutton-cum-Lound, North Nottinghamshire, after they have uncovered that the site is potentially contaminated with high explosives. Unconventional gas company Dart Energy are due to bring a drilling platform on to the site within the next week to explore for underground sources of coal bed methane. According to maps of the site and information found at a local museum, the drilling will take place on the site of a World War Two explosives factory, which produced up to 300 tons a week of explosives. Campaigners have uncovered a report produced for the Environment Agency titled Land Contamination: Technical Guidance on Special Sites: Explosives Manufacturing & Processing Sites which gives detailed guidance on land that has previously been used for the manufacture of explosives. It lists old explosives factories as ‘Special Sites’ and states that “Under no circumstances should probe holes or boreholes be conducted unless open excavation has proven the base of potentially contaminated soils(…) because of the risk of striking an explosive device or a pocket of highly concentrated explosive contamination.” and that “historical ‘free from explosives’ certificates should be treated with care as often the inspections only involved visual checks for surface contamination;” The campaigners then point to a report conducted by Nottinghamshire County Council on the drilling plans at the site, which state “The site condition report does not identify any significant historical contamination sources which may have impacted the site. There are a number of potential contamination sources in the general area. However the applicants report relies upon the baseline data provided in the soil survey of the UK and concludes there is no requirement for a baseline investigation.” Pete Kennedy, a campaigner from Frack Free South Yorkshire says, “Dart Energy must immediately halt their plans to drill until a thorough investigation of the site has been conducted, as per the recommendations of the Environment Agency report. There is a clear and present danger that there are explosives or explosive residues buried on site, which risk being detonated by the drilling. “This raises serious questions about the planning and permitting process of unconventional gas drilling. Nottinghamshire County Council have highlighted that the there are a number of potential contamination sources, but failed to insist that the site be rigorously tested for the presence of explosives and other contaminants. Why is it being left to concerned residents to uncover these risks - isnt that the job of Dart Energy, the Planning Authority, and the Environment Agency? Despite Government promises that we will have one of the safest gas drilling industries in the world, we are all too quickly seeing lives put at risk by failures in the regulatory process.” - ENDS
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 21:14:17 +0000
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