The problems which the extraction of sea-bed aggregates might cause (highlighted earlier this year by the Celtic League) have been compounded by the recent decision of the Isle of Man Department of Trade and Industry to license two further areas for exploratory work.

Initial Celtic League concerns centred on the possible environmental damage that may be caused if the exploratory work of the north-east of the Isle of Man (off Maughold Head) disturbed settled sediments which contain high levels of radioactive pollution pumped out over quarter of a century by the Sellafield reprocessing plant.

The two new exploratory tracts off the Point of Ayre and Jurby Head pose a more immediate danger should the exploratory work lead to large scale extraction. Both areas are heavily contaminated by munitions from both disposals of redundant explosives in the 1950s and 1960s and also the areas use as a sea bombing range for almost half a century.

It defied logic that the DTI should sanction the initial work off Maughold. It beggars belief that they should compound this earlier error by licensing two further areas with a different, but more immediate, hazard.

Local investigations off Jurby some years ago illustrated graphically the munitions detritus which litters the area. Meanwhile following comparatively minor disturbance of the north-west Irish sea area in the 1990s by seismic and undersea cable work large numbers of chemical munitions came ashore in N. Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Investigatory work paid for by the Scottish Executive and carried out by their Fisheries Research Services (FRS) established that munitions had been dumped in great quantities in the area and often such disposals were well outside the authorised dump site. FRS published a map which shows that disposed munitions extend south of the authorised dump sites and into areas now sanctioned for 'exploratory work by the Isle of Man DTI.

FRS said in a report at the time:

"Munitions Distribution

The survey covered a total track of over 950 km, and confirmed that munitions were distributed over a wide area which extended outside the boundary of the charted dump site. The largest concentration of dumped munitions was found in an area located within, and adjacent to, the northeast sector of the charted disposal site. In this area, and in other smaller areas, large quantities of munitions were found to be outside the boundary of the dump site."

The Isle of Man DTI are rebutting criticisms of their plans by assuring critics that the areas currently licensed are only to be investigated and any decision to proceed with large scale extraction would only take place after potential hazards have been ruled out. However the absurdity of their position is dramatically highlighted by the fact that the Manx government itself has made representations on several occasions to the British government about the unsafe manner in which they left the former Jurby sea bombing range after it was closed. An area in which the DTI is now proposing that major sea-bed disturbance could be sanctioned.

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

17/08/07

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