‘Quarry dust making me ill and blasts cause cracks in my home’
A woman has claimed dust coming from the local quarry is making her ill - and blasting at the site is causing cracks in the ceiling of her home.
Zoe Bradshaw, from Quorn, says that for the past four years the Mountsorrel Quarry in Wood Lane has had louder and stronger blasts and the dust coming from the site is making her allergic rhinitis flare up.
Zoe, who has lived in the area for eight years, was only diagnosed four years ago with the condition, which inflames the inside of her nose and is usually caused by an allergic reaction to substances such as pollen, dust or mould.
She said: “I respect that everyone’s experience is different. I hardly noticed the dust when Lafarge owned it though. The first four years we lived here it was fine - but the past four years have been worse for me.
“When I blow my nose it’s an orange and pink colour that comes out. It burns inside. It’s a very distressing experience.
“The blasts have been louder and stronger recently. I suffer 30 minutes after the blasts at around 1pm until 8pm. To experience it for six to seven hours a day becomes unbearable.
“I know it’s the quarry, as when I go into the village or anywhere else, it clears up instantly. It’s the same colour as the quarry dust that coats my car and the outside of my white front door.”
She has contacted Tarmac to complain and has since received a response.
The quarry was owned by Lafarge from the late 1990s until 2013, when they joined forces with a Tarmac subsidiary, to form Lafarge Tarmac.
Lafarge Tarmac managed the quarry until 2015 when the company was purchased by CRH, which is Tarmac’s parent company.
Speaking to the Mercury, a spokesman for Tarmac said ground vibrations from a blast can cause material damage to buildings.
But the firm believes the vibrations coming from Mountsorrel Quarry are what is known as “air over pressure”, which may make a blast feel larger than it is – but is purely down to vibrations in the air, which can’t cause structural damage.
However, Zoe said the blasts have worsened over the years.
“I was fully aware I was moving next to a quarry when we bought the house, but I didn’t experience any issues with the previous owners.
“The cracks on my ceiling have got worse with each blast.”