There are a number of businesses on the Horn Lone industrial estate and pointing the finger at each other has been a great way for them to not do anything themselves. I have in my possession a study undertaken by King’s College, London, in 2008 which concluded that most of the dust pollution problem was due to either Gowing and Pursey and/or Hanson, with Yeomans (now called Aggregates) identified as a ‘significant, but lesser source’. The recent monitoring work has pointed to the waste transfer plant and Hansons as the area where most dust pollution is coming from, although is unable to distinguish between the two. Reductions in the amount of waste transfer activity allowed have had some impact on dust pollution level, although they still exceed EU target levels. The pollution monitor on Horn Lane takes a reading every 15 minutes, which means one can see clearly that that peak pollution times have usually coincided with the operating hours of the waste transfer plant. Although it cannot be proved to level that would stand up in a court of law, what evidence there is suggests that the causes of dust pollution are (in descending order): waste transfer activity, cement works and then aggregates movements.
Vlod Barchuk ● 4427d