People urged to pressure MOD on radiation

THE PEOPLE of Dalgety Bay have been urged to put pressure on the Ministry of Defence to accept responsibility for the contaminated seashore.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called on townsfolk to email the government department, which has so far denied liability for the hundreds of particles of radiation found on the beach.

While the MOD has agreed to carry out investigations into the state of the area over 14 months, it has not accepted it is responsible for any clean-up needed or to fund it.

This could force the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to reverse this week’s decision not to designate Dalgety Bay beach as the UK’S first radioactively contaminated land, resulting in a “calamitous situation” for the community.

Regular monitoring has been carried out in the area since radiation particles 10 times stronger than previously discovered were found in October, and part of the beach has been closed to the public.

While no risk to public health has been found, the Food Standards Agency is now investigating fishing in the area and a medical group which deals with radiation is also looking at the situation.

SEPA is compiling a list of other areas in the country which may be affected by radiation but said Dalgety Bay remains their priority.

No price tag has been put on any necessary clean-up but Mr Brown estimated it would be “sufficiently large to put a burden on the MOD but not prohibitive”.

“It’s an investigatory plan as to what the risks are but there is as yet no agreement with the Ministry of Defence that there will be remedial action,” he said.

“There is no agreement there will be a clean-up after the scoping work is completed or who is to fund it.

“In all the years I have been doing work in Dalgety Bay the Ministry of Defence have had responsibility but now they say there are other parties responsible and the waste may have been moved by contractors.”

Dr James Gemmill of SEPA welcomed the Mod’s commitment to ongoing public safety monitoring despite the fact they had not agreed liability.