British Army bases the source of pollution
Celtic League report accuses British military
By Michael Pierse
The British are still concealing details of a massive pollution
problem caused by military bases in Britain and the north of
Ireland, according to a report compiled by the Celtic League.
In the early part of this decade the Celtic League, which
monitors a range of issues including environmental matters, was
intrigued by reports from the former Soviet satellite states of
eastern Europe about serious pollution around redundant military
bases.
They suspected that the British Military might also be lacking in
proper environmental provisions. In 1993 it was learned that both
the British Army and RAF had prepared reports which were
extremely damning and suggested widespread pollution around both
current and disused military facilities. Several requests for
information were made to the British Ministry of Defence over the
next twelve months but they denied any knowledge of the reports.
In 1994, having acquired details of the Army document the Celtic
League compiled their own report on the issue. Pointedly, they
identified three specific facilities as examples. These were the
two missile testing ranges in Wales and the Hebrides and also an
Army base at Bessbrook in south Armagh.
British official denials continued up until mid-1996, at which
time, having sought the assistance of British MP George Foulkes,
the issue was raised in the House of Commons. An initial denial
by under-Secretary Nicholas Soames was subsequently corrected by
Defence Secretary Michael Portillo who confirmed the nature of
the problem.
Whilst the Celtic League enquiry was general, the group also
addressed particular queries to the MOD and British
administrative forces in Ireland. Michael Portillo later
confirmed that a staggering 600 installations in both Britain and
the north of Ireland were affected.
Earlier this year the Celtic League wrote to British Defence
Secretary George Robertson asking for full publication of all
Land Quality Statements. They suggested that as the MOD had
secretly polluted air bases such as Aldegrove in the north of
Ireland, missile bases in Wales and Scotland and a range of army
sites both in Britain and Ireland, information about the clean up
should be circulated freely.
They still await Robertson's reply.
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