LEAGUE GENERAL SECRETARY PRESSES MOD ON EXPLOSIVE DUMPING

- Rapport -

The Celtic League Secretary General, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, has written to the United Kingdom Defence Minister, John Hutton, to express concern over munitions debris disposed of by the Ministry of Defence

Cathal Ó Luain Par Celtic League le 19/04/09 1:16

There are several dump sites in the north Irish sea with the largest concentration of dumped munitions in the Beaufort Dyke in the north Channel.

Recently dangerous explosive debris has washed ashore on coasts in Mann, Cumbria and Cornwall.

"Dear Minister John Hutton

Munitions dumps around coastal waters

I am writing to you following the discovery yet again of what is thought to be an incendiary device that was washed up on a beach near Black's Pond in Cumbria, England and found by a member of the general public. Luckily no one was hurt in the incident and a bomb disposal unit was called in to detonate the device.

This discovery follows a similar case in Cornwall where chemical warfare debris was washed up on a Cornish beach in January 2009 and found by members of the general public. We are aware that in the past munitions have also been dumped around the Cornish coast, particularly in Nancekuke, and shows that this is not just a problem that occurs in isolated areas.

The Celtic League is concerned that munitions are still being washed up along our coastal waters and believe that it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed by one of the devices. It was only a few years ago that some boys (two in the north of Ireland and one in Scotland) were burnt when they found incendiary devices on beaches close to their homes.

The Celtic League has written to the MoD on many occasions about this issue -spanning close to three decades - but very little has been done by the MoD to clean the coastal waters of such dangerous debris. We are still particularly concerned about the waste at Beaufort's Dyke and would therefore like to know if the MoD plans to open talks with the Scottish government and other government agencies about a possible strategy to effectively deal with the problem.

We would also like to know what means of recourse or compensation is open to the general public, if and when someone is hurt or killed by one of the washed up devices?

We look forward to your response. Yours sincerely Rhisiart Tal-e-bot General Secretary Celtic League

CC First Minister Alex Salmond MSP"

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