Row over dust from quarry as concerns for wildlife grow
RESIDENTS living near a quarry say they’re being battered by choking clouds of dust and debris thrown up from its pits.
They have voiced fears over air pollution and environmental damage surrounding Whitworth Quarry, close to Cowm Reservoir, on the border of Rossendale and Rochdale.
Several visitors, and people with homes nearby, have raised concerns – with a councillor saying she believes a young cormorant died near the reservoir because of dust inhalation.
The Woodland Trust has embarked on a widespread tree planting scheme in order to ‘encourage birds and wildlife to return to the area, and hide the landscape scars caused by excessive stone quarrying’.
But walkers say they are concerned that the levels of dust coming from the quarry are causing pollution to the reservoir and impacting on air quality.
One even shared a picture showing his boots and legs thick with dirt, reports Lancslive.
Fairhurst Stone has a licence to extract stone from the quarry, which was granted by Lancashire County Council.
However, as the site and its operations, along with the issues raised, come under the jurisdiction of several local authorities and agencies including Rossendale Borough Council, the Environment Agency and United Utilities,
Whitworth resident Colin Hubbard said he has had difficulties getting answers from the powers that be.
He said: “The stone crusher(s) should be impounded immediately and rendered inoperable until such time as the quarry owners can adapt them to contain the pollution in situ or relocate them to contain the pollution within the bounds of the quarry.
“This may seem drastic, but they have had not months but years to address the problem.”
Sharing a picture showing his legs and boots following a walk near the quarry, Colin said in one complaint email: “Just look at my boots and legs in the photos, are you seriously suggesting that this is not attributable to quarry activities?”
Earlier this month Whitworth Town Councillor Kim Olaolu was saddened to find a young cormorant had died close to Cowm Reservoir.
She believes the cause of the bird’s death was the dust emanating from the quarry.
Politicians have also waded in to the issue.
Rossendale and Darwen MP Sir Jake Berry said: “It’s really concerning to hear about these reports about Cowm Quarry.
“I’m raising the matter with the Environment Agency as well as our local authorities to make sure that any necessary action is taken as a matter of urgency.”
Lancashire County Councillor Scott Smith added: “I’m aware of this issue and am already working with residents and the authorities to get it looked into.
“We’re lucky to live in one of the most beautiful parts of Lancashire and I’m determined that we must keep it that way!”
In an email sent to Mr Hubbard, seen by Lancslive, an officer from the Environment Agency said: “We are currently still working alongside the new site owners with a plan to get this issue resolved.
“As you can imagine with the size of the site, there are a multitude of plans, consultations and meetings to be undertaken before works can be commenced.
“The operators have been working with the environment agency and have shown a willingness to make changes to the water management infrastructure of the quarry.
“We await the operators coming back to us on gaining the technical, geological and hydrogeological data that is needed to provide assurance.”
Quarry manager Chris Ward said the company has spent tens of thousands of pounds on plans and surveys to look at tackling the discolouration of the water.
However, he said this was a ‘historical issue,’ and that it is not directly linked to the quarry’s operations.
“I have a weather station so I can track the direction of the wind because when the wind blows north it goes towards the reservoir,” Mr Ward told Lancslive.
“We’ve always used the same stone crushers and we have sprinklers on them to dampen down the dust.
“The dust isn’t created by the crushing but when it drops onto the stacker.
“We’ve had lots of meetings with United Utilities [the owner of the reservoir] to look at how we can resolve it. It’s historical and has been going on for 20 years since long before we began quarrying.
“The water seeps through the rock. It’s not through a lack of trying to sort the problem.”
Complaints have also previously been made about wagons leaving dust and dirt along the roads after leaving the site.
But quarry manager Chris said he has since brought in a ‘three strike rule’ whereby if drivers fail to use the wheel wash on three occasions ‘they’re out.’
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We understand community concerns around quarry operations and local water courses. Our top priority is to protect the environment. As a consultee in the planning process, led by Lancashire County Council, we are working with the operators of Cowm Quarry to provide advice and guidance on the proposed changes to their site water management system.
“If members of the public spot a pollution in a local watercourse, they can report it to our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”
Lancslive made several attempts to speak to Fairhurst Stone but they were yet to respond.