We'll sink plan for toxic ships
Apr 4 2006
By Ian Hernon, Liverpool Echo
MPs today fired a broadside at any plans to dismantle toxic ships in the Mersey.
Their promise came after a government study found that the area's former ship-building expertise made it viable as a site for a recycling centre for European "ghost ships" due to be scrapped.
But Merseyside MPs say the dangers from handling dangerous chemicals and other toxic material would far outweigh any jobs benefits.
Birkenhead ' s Frank Field branded the scheme "mad" and wants to meet environment secretary Margaret Beckett to ensure the idea never gains ground.
The Labour MP said: "Toxic ships would drive everyone else away at a time when we have the best chance after 40 years of decline to transform the area."
He pointed to the scheme by Peel Holdings, which bought the docks, to redevelop the area, adding: "Recycling toxic material would end those plans. It would be sheer madness."
Bootle's Joe Benton said: "If a serious proposition is put forward involving toxic waste we shall fight it tooth and nail.
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"The disposal of toxic material from redundant tankers and other ships is a serious problem which must be addressed, but to do it so close to such high concentrations of population is not the answer." Riverside's Louise Ellman said: "I would be very concerned about the implications for public safety and for the Mersey environment.
"I would need the most stringent assurances, and no decision should be taken without the fullest consultation. This is not an issue that can be decided in secret."
The proposal is contained in a consultant's report to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which suggested sites "in and around" Birkenhead..
The recycling industry could be worth up to £3bn and would involve 30 redundant warships and almost 400 EU-flagged tankers.
A Whitehall official said that the proposal was only one of several possibilities, including front-runners Tyneside and Teeside in the north east.
ianhernon@liverpoolecho.co.uk
Source:
icLiverpool
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