Residents are calling for public health managers to produce an urgent report into the potential dangers to people of opencast mining in the Shropshire countryside near the Wrekin.
More than 70 people packed into Lawley Church Hall, in Telford, last night in their battle against UK Coal’s plans to open a huge coal and fireclay mine at Huntington Lane, near Little Wenlock.
After listening to national health campaigner Dr Dick Van Steenis, a retired GP, the meeting unanimously agreed to call for Dr Catherine Woodward, Telford & Wrekin’s director of public health, to produce a full health impact assessment.
Dr Van Steenis said opencast mining would create a catalogue of health problems, including a boom in asthma.
“Too many people live in the three-mile fallout zone. It should be stopped on health grounds,” he said.
“I have won 13 out of 13 opencast oppositions, right up to public inquiry level, and I want to see this application become the 14th one,” he said.
People at the meeting, organised by Friends of the Ercall, said they were horrified by what they had heard.
One woman, who did not wish to be named, said she and her partner had moved to Horsehay from Priorslee in January due to the beauty of the area.
She said: “I am already asthmatic. We wake up to birdsong every day and the prospect of losing that would be terrible.”
John Rubery, 75, who lives just 100 yards from the proposed opencast site, said: “What must be remembered in New Works is that half of the people are retired.
“When this is going on six and a half days a week, these people are not able to go to work and come back. They are there and stuck with it.”
Brian Hale, 74, also of New Works, added: “It’s been a torment since I moved here in 1968.
“That hill is the worst location where you could put a hole in the ground for extraction of dust. With prevailing winds, the people of Arleston will get it worst.”
He said residents still noticed “terrible odours” at night since mining in the area years ago.
Telford & Wrekin Council is due to make a decision on UK Coal’s planning application later this year.
By Kirsty Marston
6 Comments
the only health problems there will be is if you fall in the hole.
Mention “This will create jobs” and planners fall over backwards no matter what.
In “Telford Insight” Mr Andrew Eade, T&W Council Leader - I quote - on page 12, “will be stopping doing what the Council wants and listening to the residents and what they want”.
Over to you Mr Eade.
We would like to thank all who attended last nights meeting at Lawley. Those who have now heard the facts, can decide for themselves, if living within the fall out zone from this proposed mine, will be safe or not.
Please remember, the only point put forward so far to claim as a benefit, is that this land is dangerious due to being riddled with old mine shafts.Local farmer claims a Bull or cows weight will cause collapse.
If this is true, and lets fight this campaign on the truth, then how can contractors for Central Networks, use a 30 ton vehicle to pass all over the site, pulling down disused pylons.?
How many vehicles fell down shafts, ? answer none.How many employees fell screaming to their deaths down a hole? Answer none.
We challenged UK coal two weeks ago, to give us documented evidence of all deaths and injuries, caused by humans falling down mineshafts since they have owned the land.
Where is their response?
Where are their figures?
At least at the meeting, what was said by the Doctor can be backed up with data.
Keep sending in letters of opposition to UK coals proposal, while you can.
Mr D Coxill, planning department, Telford and Wrekin coucil, Civic Offices, Telford, is the place to voice your opposition by a simple letter stating your objections.
Friends of the Ercall.
You can be sure that if it was the old Labour council, they’d have cried crocodile tears about the environment, got a 106 attached to the plans and had a couple of tree splanted in some distant -Labour- ward.
Were the film crew that was in the New Works area recently covering the opencast issue as well?
Anyone who suffers from asthma, or who knows and asthma sufferer, might be interested to learn that an interview with Dr Dick van Steenis is featured on the InjuryBoard.com website with the snappy title: “Railroad Diesel Exhaust Fume Diesel & Pollution: Interview with Dr Dick Van Steenis, British Authority on Diesel Pollution”, posted by Rick Shapiro, 18 April 2008..
It seems that there is a “class action” underway for health damage to railway workers in the US. Perhaps UK lawyers should take note?