Millpool West Bromwich#4 MARred by historic pollution and fake “clean up” – Part 2

 

THE PATHWAY AND RECEPTORS

The heavily polluted Millpool

In the preceding three posts, I have discussed the historic legacy of the polluting and incompetently run W H Keys factory specialising in bitumen based products. I have shown how this company imploded and the heavily contaminated site was taken on by administrators who then sold it to Developer Mar City Developments. 

Whilst the very grey area between their acquisition of the site and their application for a change of use from industrial to residential was submitted, in early to mid 2006 it was noted that serious contamination into the Millpool via the Hobnail Brook pathway was occurring.

This was as I would later find out via the FOI request to the Environment Agency, an issue which had happened before, being conclusively traced to the factory on the hill with swans and other birds being covered in pollution needing to be rescued.

All had been well at the site in terms of this, and for a number of years, a pair of swans had attempted to nest on the millpool, only thwarted by the rise in water levels during heavy rain which washes surface water through at a rapid rate via the brook and exits via the outfall into a continuation of the culverted brook and into The River Tame.

To counter this, swanwatch put in place a nesting raft on the pool in 2001. At this stage the pool was accessible by boat and the silt levels were not as they presently are, indicating that a great deal of material must have migrated into the pool towards the middle of the decade.

Some success followed for this pair and one year they had 6 cygnets without issue.

Tragedy struck however with the female swan looking ill in August 2005. On attempting to rescue her, she unfortunately died. I was in contact with top avian vet Martin Brown from Slimbridge, who agreed to undertake a post mortem, and the results show cause for concern with regards to Millpool.

I knew that this swan had not ever ventured far from the site in around 5 years of being there. She was therefore very parochial to this site and its contents in the silt and water.

The post mortem revealed no foul play. The swan had been in good condition and had a good weight. There was however a large tumour present in the left lung which had been bleeding. Some metallic fragments thought to be aluminium were present.

Now that I am aware of what W H Keys were producing on their site, I would like to point out some of the statements made in the safety data sheets for the three COMAH chemicals for which they were regulated. It is worth pointing out however that there had been extensive contamination of ground and groundwater for decades at this site, all flowing into the silty millpool of fluctuating levels, making this pool contaminated itself by definition as the only unculverted receptacle of the Hobnail Brook.

orthocresolphenolmix SDS

This chemical causes tumour production

It sinks in water, if it enters soil it is mobile and may contaminate groundwater, yet is evanescent meaning that if an EA officer were to receive a report of unidentified “water pollution”- what chance of even identifying the substance days later?

The COMAH chemicals below are also extremely hazardous in the environment, but also can be short lived to trace.

cresylic acid SDS

LIGHTS SDS

Her mate found a new partner fairly quickly and in 2006 they attempted to nest in the reeds near to the raft we had put out. It was at the start of nesting around March/April that things began to go wrong.

The male swan began to be covered in a greasy material that affected waterproofing meaning that he was unable to stay in the water due to his feathers becoming severely matted.

What was apparent was the black/yellowish mixture pouring out of the culvert on the millpool from the Hobnail Brook. Of course with the brook being buried, this was the first visible view of what was coming down here. The following pictures although of not great polaroid quality do show the issue. The boom was placed by the EA, though with heavy rain, as seen in previous pollution issues, this had little to no real effect of preventing pollution. One EA officer who attended claimed that it looked like “white spirit”.

 

The male swan was admitted to Wychbold swan rescue, as other swans had been in the previous incidents. Whilst his mate was still on the nest, you can see the effects on the feathers. Once cleaned up, he was put back, only for the same to have to happen again!

 

Swan on nest in the reeds, surrounded by disgusting oily pollution.

The environment agency were utterly useless. Of particular note was one Jim Woodhall, pollution control officer, and also I believe ex of the Walsall council Hazardous waste unit. This was the same bloke who was also at this time “responding” to issues that I was reporting at Rattlechain and the deaths there, which we would obviously find out … eventually… were being caused by the white phosphorus in the pool, dumped there by the industrial polluter. Not that the EA ever contributed anything to that knowledge base, FFS! 

This bloke on that occasion told me

“phosphorus isn’t toxic, I’m a chemist, I did A level chemistry.” 🙄 

He professed zero knowledge of the previous incidents outlined arising from the proven W H Keys source and the pollutants that affected swans in the same way as this incident. What made matters worse were the unknown nature of the contaminants and how to describe them. The viscous nature of the chemicals made them appear like cooking oil or even “sewage” which we now know they were not. Reports therefore did not help confirming the chemical, and Woodhall’s lack of knowledge was the crux of why it continued to unravel.

The cygnets hatched and after this it became a disaster when they took to the water.

The Express and Star article from 13/6/2006 is shown below. Not for the first or last time would I be wading into chemical contaminated crap to rescue ailing birds.

There are points to be made from this article.

  • The “open sewer” claim is quite correct- a spillway for anything from a culverted brook to spill into and then exit via the River Tame.
  • The “piece of wood” was the raft we put out- the female swan clinging to this with her cygnets out of the water which was destroying their waterproofing from the chemicals within it.
  • The swan “attacked by a dog” was the male swan- this was not accurate. He had allegedly been “attacked” but had no injuries from this, he was however “oiled” as the picture above attests.
  • The EA and Severn Trent may have been investigating sewage- they were not investigating W H Keys and the activities on that site, which was the problem.
  • The water level plunge is correct. When we had put the raft on a few years earlier, it was accessible by boat. I had great difficultly getting buoyant to get across to the raft and had to plough through silt just to get there.
  • I do not know if Severn Stench found sewage, but that is not what was on the birds, and I smelt none on myself I have to say!
  • The mention of other factors are not accurate. This unfortunately is typical of many pollution investigations where the wrong chemicals are identified, or more importantly not identified. Take for example the many red herrings put in the way at Rattlechain, before we got to the truth about white phosphorus.
  • What was strange about some of the contaminants is that they were jet black- as seen above. Other observations were of exploding colourful bursts of silvery light in the water.

All Woodhall kept parroting was “iron sesquioxide”– basically rusty water. I continuously along with others told him that he was talking bollocks. I even asked for evidence of what he was testing for at The Millpool and also the Hobnail Brook after this garbage began to get untenable. Why had this “natural” chemical suddenly arrived at this site causing serious harm to water birds but had not done so for many years? How can it possibly have been unconnected to events occurring at the previous source of contamination causing the same issue via the same pathway from the  bitumen based products manufacturer undergoing “remediation”? 

The following are examples supplied of what he was testing for- none of them the chemicals from Keys, and none of the results would point to that source either. None of the solids in the millpool- the contaminated silt were being tested, which is the same issue problem the EA demonstrated at Rattlechain. This is another issue with the EA and their inability to tie down specific chemicals, or set testable limits- as I found out with them also allowing discharge of water from Rattlechain into The Birmingham Canal.

Sample taken 3rd May 2006 from point on Hobnail Brook, by now we know that the clearance work at this site- of chemicals and buildings had already taken place.

The grid reference given for this sample was taken nowhere near to The W H Keys factory, or even the culverted Hobnail brook as stated but actually at the Millpool itself.

 

Non specific to chemicals originating from the Keys site.

 

This grid ref, and see the previous one makes even less sense, and is not even on the Millpool site at all!

 

Sample taken 15th February 2008 from misspelt “Hillpool”

 

Clear to see the suite of chemicals tested for is getting less and less. No grid reference either!

It was possible to take samples from the brook further downstream of Keys. For example where it crosses onto the field in Gordon Avenue.

All of the cygnets died. It was also later noted that the culvert had began to give off hot material with clouds of “smoke” billowing out visibly. I now take that to be material connected to the “thermal desorption” work being undertaken with the contaminated soil. Where else could this have come from? It defies belief that it was unconnected to this which was happening at the same time, and had not happened before or since.

The pair of swans were relocated away from this site, but the issues continued with around 15-20 other swans landing on the site and having the same issues. Some of these flew out to other pools, meaning that we had to keep track of where they flew out to because they would soon have waterproofing issues. They situation became ridiculous with a 50 mile round journey to Wychbold swan rescue.

Another article appeared in the 24/11/2007 Express and Star

Some points I would like to make about this article.

  • The fat and cooking oil was a then best guess given the lack of information coming from the Environment agency. At this point I knew nothing of the W H Keys situation- why would I or the chemicals involved, which was all being conducted behind closed doors and via a culvert that made it impossible to see from where the source originated?
  • By now I had been told about previous incidents by members of the public who had recalled the issues of the late 80’s/early 90’s. I had yet to substantiate these, but the EA FOI request showed them to be correct.
  • As for the EA comment, this shows the problem. No information of any use, just speculation.

As the farce continued I complained to Sandwell Council, The EA and just about everyone else as I had with Rattlechain, all to little avail. By now I had exhausted most avenues with organisations that were not interested.

Whilst this was going on, the houses given permission were now being constructed.

The next leveller was a puff piece in The Sunday Mercury dated 6/7/2008

This was Mar City boasting about their alleged “remediation” of the site, their experimental shit thermal desorption technology, and how wonderful they had been in “cleaning up” the contaminated site.

 

  • The “greasy, grime-filled Black country site” was of course Malcolm Grainger’s ACME chemical muppet factory, aka W H Keys.
  • It was only “written off” for industrial use by Mar City who applied for a change of use using dubious tactics and suspect “remediation”.
  • To where was the “blast out” of grease and oils, I think I know. 😡
  • The first, and should be the last to use it. It was a scam, a lie and a fraud, and the environmental impact was flushed down the Hobnail Brook, you lying fucking wanker.
  • The rest of this shit journalistic piece is just an advertisement for the Solihull scum.
  • The housing associations are another part of the green credential hoax and fraud promoted by the political class.

Incandescent with rage, I contacted The Sunday Mercury to reveal the truth about Mar City’s fake claims of wonderful remediation. A week later on 13/7/2008 the following appeared to set the record straight.

The no comment from this company says it all. 

The spin PR continued with the fake “awards” ceremonies associated with this sector. These are the type of event where perhaps three companies are invited to enter themselves into a “competition” each paying an upfront fee to attend some fancy dinner, well away from their scene of pollution- in this case, the Grosvenor Hotel in London. This shite was known as “Key Gardens”- who in their right fucking mind would even want it to be associated with the company that had left behind the contaminated shithole that Mar Shitty further despoiled?

The streets arising from the development were as follows, named precociously as they usually are, in this instance after Cumbrian hillocks, including Skiddaw Drive, not to be confused with the brilliant Sandwell skidder. I bet they don’t have bituminous waste arising anywhere near there.

The demise of Mar City and the Ryans. 

Karma is a wonderful thing. Mar Shitty continued their brownfield land building in places such as Tipton and West Bromwich, but all was not going well behind the scenes, and the couple at the helm of it appeared to be falling from grace.

An eye watering loan was given to them via HSBC of £10 million in 2015, as reported HERE.  

Quite what this was all about is of course all part of the very murky world of business and moving things around- like contaminated buildings for example. 😛 😆 😆

Patrick and Margaret Ryan resigned as directors and relinquished their executive responsibilities within the group they founded in 1984 on 10th December 2015 but remained as major shareholders.

On 24th May 2016 administrators were appointed and once again a Rayment was at the helm, as with W H Keys, how strange? Official records confirm them dissolved on 20th September 2022.

One does wonder where the Government money went with this supposedly thriving business to build houses?

The Ryans together hold a string of dissolved and insolvent businesses, many with the same MAR initials. Many of their company sites, some heavily contaminated like that at the former T & S Element site very near to Millpool as it happens, were left in a state of limbo, and one in Great Bridge unfinished from the same clone company Aurora Living Properties leaves some who bought homes still attempting to finish the unfinished estate. 

As for the Irish couple, they even had the guile to attempt a quite ludicrous claim against HSBC in that a “friend” had given them the loan of £10 million in bad faith!

“His Honour Judge Parfitt, sitting as a High Court Judge, found that it was “unsubstantiated”, “inconsistent” and “speculative” and as a “Hail Mary” last ditch claim it did not fulfil the statutory requirements for proceeding.”

You can read more on that one HERE. 

I can honestly say the heart bleeds. 😆 😆 😆

MILLPOOL AND SURROUNDING TODAY.

The Millpool outfall- from here back carrying pollution back into The Hobnail Brook and then The River Tame

There have been no swans attempting to breed at this site since this time. Few have landed on there and do not stay there for long.

There have been window dressing efforts is all I can call them by groups set up with yet more Government money such as “The Hateley Heath Initiative” and now “Hateley Cross” to plant trees. A total waste of time and money in terms of the elephant in the room which is the contaminated pool. Sandwell council have even now put forward this site as one of the bogus “biodiversity net gain” areas where scum polluting developers like Mar Shitty can transfer sums or bungs into useless further rubbish like more trees no doubt. The council have been cutting down trees around this site over the last year, and so the “gain” is an utter fraud on their part as well.

Cut down a load of trees……

To plant some more

What this site needs is not platitudes like the one above, but actions to remove the contaminated legacy of industrialism. I think it is probably impossible to desilt this pool due to costs and the contamination potential of disturbance that would heavily impact The River Tame.

The only option is some form of geotextile membrane, which would at least have some effect so long as no more pollution arises from The Hobnail Brook. I cannot see this ever being undertaken however.

The pool water is increasingly disappearing to eventually just become a millbrook, or continuation of the Hobnail Brook. Perhaps at this stage when the silt is so prominent, it will be culverted and buried like the rest of it. I wonder what will hide under that “shade”?

More window dressing on top of the polluted Hobnail Brook at Hateley Heath shows even more absurdity. For example this ornamental swan on the path of the contaminated brook looks as though it is sitting on a black puddle of pollution, just like the Millpool swans.

 

We even get this Garden City-esque symbol rubbing our noses further in the warped urban planners mind. All the pollution is hidden underneath our feet, and things look green but as long as the pollution isn’t visible, that’s ok.

SOME CONCLUSIONS

  • This issue shows the brownfield building scam for the fraud that it is. All too often we see prick politicians and their media mouthpieces lining up to pour praise over their wonderful new “green” technology which is a fraud like this one.
  • Housing developers have an easy job of manipulating the planning system for their own ends- hire some environmental consultant to make up what you want them to say, and Bob’s your uncle.
  • Public money is given to individuals and companies without proper checks on what they are doing and their credibility. More scrutiny is needed.
  • The Environment Agency are not a fit body to protect the environment, comment on planning applications where the environment is directly threatened, and the quality of their employees in the field leaves much to be desired when they are unfamiliar with troubled repeat offenders.
  • They are unable to take accurate real time results, scrutinise these with past incidents which they should be able to access immediately, and test for specific chemicals of interest tied to pollution incidents.
  • Environmental health officers in local authorities are quick to pass the buck to the EA to get themselves off the hook. The quality of those in Sandwell council leaves much to be desired also.
  • Neither of these bodies ever tested the pool’s sediment to characterise the chemicals it was/is polluted with- that would of course mean that they had to do something, which they do not want to, so leave it in situ.
  • W H Keys were one of the most incompetently run factories in the area and probably the whole UK, and those like Malcom Grainger should have been disqualified from management and directorship when it was quite apparent that he and others were not fit or competent to manage anything.
  • The COMAH regulations are an utter joke. They fail in every way to protect the environment from the hazards stored on site, which are too voluminous to adequately control.
  • “Contaminated land” definitions are also a joke , especially when sites such as W H Keys are not accurately and independently assessed before they are levelled and the contamination finds a way out, as it clearly did here.

The Millpool site is a disgraceful abandonment of a waterbody contaminated by former use, and further contaminated by brownfield building. 

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Millpool West Bromwich#3 MARred by historic pollution and fake “clean up” – Part 1

 

THE SOURCE AND PATHWAY

At the close of play for the vile polluting and failing West Bromwich Company, W H Keys Ltd, BDO Stoy Hayward were put in charge of disposing of the factory land and contents within, it should be noted, the whole site contaminated by previous industrial use.

Confirmed in London Gazette notice dated 2oth April 2005

Not surprisingly, there was no appetite by any company to take over the site, and so housing was once again the toxic nugget on offer. This has been a frequent occurrence within the West Midlands area, and one which I would suggest has been deliberately manipulated by the political class for their own personal gain.

Planning records, which I will get to in a moment reveal what happened next, with the involvement of yet another outfit called Bache Treharne, a surveying company. You can see how all of these legal entity vultures start to carve up the pie and how they are all involved in the disgraceful economic dodgy deals in turning crap old factories into houses.

No sooner had the EA and HSE given up on this site, having totally failed to ever regulate it properly, it is revealed that it was bought by a housing developer for £495,000.

So step forward “Mar City Developments Limited”. This company was run by a husband and wife Irish national outfit by the names of Patrick and Margaret Ryan- the latter having the middle name Anne, and thus we can see her initials are at the heart of this entity. 

Prior to taking on this shit site, the following statements are made in the Mar City annual accounts for 2014. We see here the cosy and I would say unseemly deal with a Government department using tax payers money to fund the construction industry- that fraud outfit known as “The Homes and Communities Agency.”

They boast of “an in house remediation team”, and we will get to that crap shit show in due course.

Mar City funded by the tax payer

 

Applying for more tax payers money- how nice

It was not long before an outline planning application appeared, in fact in just a few months which makes me believe that it had been eyed  for some time by all of these wretched parties.

DC/06/45887 | Outline application for residential use (C3 Class). | Former W H Keys Ltd Church Lane West Bromwich West Midlands B71 1BN

The statements above and more are made in the document below, submitted as part of the application

DC_06_45887-SUPPORTING_STATEMENT-686288

Admitted in this document are the observations

“The majority of the site was used for the open storage of chemicals, oils and building materials which has led to the site suffering massive levels of underground contamination”

It is revealed that 34 breaches of regulations were on file from the HSE, and these are shown below. Basically, this confirms what we know already in that this was a negligent company run by people from the managing director down who were not technically competent to do so.

The remediation costs were estimated at between £2,600,000 and £3,400,000! The letter below to a Rob Johnson of Mar City is from their “environmental consultants” WSP Environmental Limited. Of most important note are the mentions of the heavily contaminated soils with bitumen and the groundwater remediation control costs. 

N.B What is not mentioned here and is of high importance, is that “remediation” to this environmental consultant does not appear to include the demolition of contaminated buildings, contaminated machinery, and contaminated barrels that were evidentially listed at being on the site prior to the Mar City purchase. I will explore this crucial issue in this post. 

The costs for Mar City therefore were considerable considering they had bought this “crap site for residential” for under £500 grand! They therefore knew at this stage how much it would cost them, and what actions were needed to avoid extra costs, including the demolition of contaminated buildings, plant and barrels of waste. 😉 

The outline application was submitted on 6/3/2006, so before the letter of WSP to Mar City dated 3/4/2006.

DC_06_45887-OUTLINE__MAJOR_-667254

What is clear is that Mar Shitty Developments as they will hitherto be known were quick to claim that this heavily contaminated site was not fit for industrial use. Perhaps this is because they would not be able to tap the Homes and Communities Agency for as much public money Cheddar? John Dadd, the planning officer at the council even made the point that they had failed to demonstrate this in a letter to them dated 23/6/2006, see below.

DC_06_45887-AMENDMENT_REQUEST-684267

A similar claim was made by “skintworth'” agents in connection with The Coneygree site at Tipton, though this was later debunked by another appraisal claiming that business was the right choice when obviously Andy Street’s WMCA became a new tax payer money tree.

Initial comments from The Environment Agency, letter dated 7/4/2006 recommended the standard condition regards pollution. They also state that three landfill sites lie within a short 250 metre distance of the Keys site, including an infilled canal basin underneath part of it which I outlined in the first post. Sandwell council had connections to all of these as site operators or licence holders which is interesting in how they are themselves linked to pollution activities in the area. These licences as far as I can tell were SL99 (black lake) and SL586 . I made an FOI request some time back to SMBC regards the Black Lake site, see link above for their response which appears to show it was a foundry sand tipping graveyard job with little real direction.  The EA make no comments on the Hobnail Brook or Millpool and previous encountered proven pollutant linkages.

DC_06_45887-ENVIRONMENT_AGENCY_COMMENTS-686042

As far as I am aware, the “remediation” of this site, or flush out of contaminated materials and soils started BEFORE any planning application had ever been granted. Pollution was noted to be happening at Millpool via the Hobnail brook in the summer of 2006. There had been no issues with birds at the lake in terms of visible pollution for many years prior to this, thus indicating a sudden change. What took place after Keys left and Mar Shitty took over is the highly dodgy illegality of the pollution to controlled waters, all under the nose of the useless Environment Agency. 

How is it possible that an application is allowed in “outline” before any real plans for protection of the environment are put forward? No one was watching what went on at this site from a regulatory perspective AFTER WH Keys went bust. No one was watching how these materials were being stored or moved around on site, of which a claimed inventory is listed, how they were being disposed of, or how some of them may have found their way off site or down the drain.  

The theory from WSP was submitted as part of the application in a 25 page document titled and is dated February 2006- i.e BEFORE the application was submitted.

DC_06_45887-DRAFT_REMEDIATION_PHILOSOPHY_REPORT-203034

Two other studies are referred to but not submitted as part of the application- a quantitative risk assessment and a Geo-environmental assessment. At this point, the only vague brief is that the site would be used for residential use, without any plan for gardens- how convenient in terms of not having to justify contaminated soils.

I am not sure why they claim the site was “most recently used by W H Keys.” It had only ever been used by this shit company who had contaminated it without any care for over 100 years on the 3.4 hectare site.

At page 7 we get mention of the Hobnail Brook.

The usual trial pits were undertaken, not representative of anything across the land based upon the scattered conditions of chemicals and drums on this site and how they had leaked over 100 years. It is also apparent that not many were located on the Eastern part of the site which slopes in a downward gradient towards The Hobnail Brook.

Crucially it confirms that groundwater was found to be flowing in a North to North Easterly direction- i.e towards the Hobnail Brook and ultimately Millpool.

 

Just about everywhere, including groundwater was found to be contaminated with dangerous chemicals.

WSP make the crucial statement regards how the current site threatens the Hobnail Brook and beyond. What is puzzling here is why the EA were not able to make this assessment. It is also of concern that WSP do not appear to know about the previous incidents which prove this pollutant linkage, or profess any knowledge of the so called penstock valve that allegedly had been shut off just a few years previously to stop pollution. Had it opened again, did they damage it in trial pits or building demolition? How would they even know? 

Estimated 30,000m³ of contaminated soil

A number of remediation options are suggested, but these are largely theoretical without any specific detailed discussion. These were bioremediation, thermal desorption, landfilling and incineration. WSP were not responsible for any remediation on the site, merely providing information options for Mar City who had control of the site and its contents.

What is clear is that building control at Sandwell council had given Mar Shitty permission to demolish the contaminated buildings that were still on a classified industrial use site. The idea that Mar Shitty could therefore begin moves to change the use by doing this, and please refer to John Dadd’s letter above in connection with this demonstrates how the planning system is corrupt in this regard.

This appears to suggest that before WSP submitted any relevant theoretical studies of the site in any depth, Sandwell Council twats in building control had allowed their clients to get rid of the evidence, and in just 11 days of having received the application? WTF?

I put in an enquiry to Sandwell Planning asking for further information about this consent for demolition and this is what i was given.

Er, there was NO residential scheme application in February 2006, and the application for this in outline was then made to change the use! So the buildings went BEFORE any approval for change of use. As for the condition 6, (see below), this was in reference to the application AFTER they had already demolished and spread around the contaminated contents of the buildings, machinery and barrels. 

Without much of a plan for how remediation was going to be carried out after a significant disturbance of the site contents had already been moved around on site, or how this affected groundwater contamination, the planning committee report is shown below. There isn’t much to say about this, but the lack of comments by the environment agency about proven specific past industrial pollution incidents from the site and source-pathway-receptor pollutant linkage is noted.

DC_06_45887-COMMITTEE_REPORT___SUPPORTING_PLANS-213094

This application was passed with conditions and the decision  notice issued on 16/8/2006

DC_06_45887-GRANT_OUTLINE_PERMISSION_WITH_CONDITIONS-230598

The only points of note from my perspective are conditions 6-8 concerning contamination of land and off site pollution prevention.

It is clear that after this, but not before off site contamination of the Hobnail Brook and Millpool were being seen, and see further discussion of this in the final part of this story coming next, WSP submitted further documents in order to discharge the conditions.

These are not on the Sandwell Council planning website, but I viewed the whole file for this application and subsequent one some years ago, and there was no mention whatsoever of the penstock valve referred to in the case of proven historic pollution from this site and the proven pathway that polluted millpool.

A further revelation is given in documents by yet another on site party known as “Deep Green UK Limited”– a company who were to carry out the thermal desorption on site, yet separated their activities from those that had obviously been undertaken by Mar Shitty prior and during their proposed tenure on site. This again appears to be a mirror of the blame game buck passing between W H Keys and PMC marketing when the tanks were collapsing on the site, but the former claimed that the latter were responsible.

The EA wrote to Sandwell Council concerning a “deployment form” in relation to the DGUK operation, yet offer no comments on the incriminating statements made by this company in response to concerns that they had about their activities.

DC_06_45887-PART_1-DEPLOYMENT_FORM-686040

This was an “outline permission” and at this point Mar City had NOT given information concerning how they had demolished structures or prevented pollution, and yet, their sub contractor claims here that all of this work had already been undertaken! 

Remember how the whole site was described as contaminated?

We had at this time noted disgusting contamination into the millpool affecting birds and from this likely source!

Furthermore, they also distance themselves from the on site remediation, and we get the scum who were in charge of this unapproved operation below.

 

The planning conditions had not been enacted!

This company argue with the EA observations using semantics and their own interpretations.

THEY FURTHER DROP MAR SHITTY IN IT WITH THIS STATEMENT.

“Preparation work has been underway at the site for some months now. This has involved clearing the site of waste, demolition of buildings and general site preparation prior to remediation operations commencing. This work has been undertaken by the site owner

What kind of crap is this? Why was permission granted for the demolition of known contaminated buildings? Who gave this permission, apparently prior to the outline application? Where were the EA comments in relation to this? Why was no one monitoring what Mar Shitty were doing on site with dangerous chemicals that they had no knowledge of?

That’s funny, as where was approval given by ether of these bodies for this work to be done before the outline application was approved. Why was there no mention of this work in the planning committee report?

What is clear is that the EA did not even comment on the reports submitted by WSP until AFTER THEY HAD DONE THE FUCKING WORK! 

Still be taken into consideration? They have done the work already for months you fucking fool!

Too late to worry about site conditions and groundwater when they have already cleared the fucking site!

What use is this letter which heavily criticises the WSP reports and says that they contradict each other and do not protect off site receptors?

DC_06_45887-ENVIRONMENT_AGENCY_COMMENTS-684229

I will look at this letter and its comments further on, except to say that this is further evidence of the incompetence of this quango and their professional failure to protect the environment from shiesters like W H Keys and Mar Shitty Developments Limited. Why did Kitchen not write to Sandwell council BEFORE the application had ended with these observations?

Going back to the DGUK statement they confirm on page 8 of the contaminated material that “excavation, screening and stockpiling of material is undertaken by Mar City Developments.” 

There is a great deal of theoretical statements made by DGUK, but are concentrated on their process alone and not the whole “remediation” operation, which is just not good enough. Mar Shitty should have undertaken all of this work and this just feels as though these two parties are distant from the joined up operation which underlines why pollution was getting off site.

There are plans of the site, without buildings now present, operating summary of the DGUK plant and procedural diagrams.

For some reason there are also academic certificates of some bloke called “Leon Pilling” which I note are only dated from January of 2006, and December of the preceding year! I have no idea of if he was leading the operation but does this make this college boy an “expert”, and what actual practical expertise of this system had he or DGUK ever used in reality on any construction site or one as contaminated as W H Keys? Deep “green” indeed! In deep shit would be a better description of this site. 

The deployment form states that 45,000 tonnes of material would need to be treated, an increase of 15,000 on the WSP estimates given and evidenced earlier in this post- so were their costs also inaccurate as well as other things they claimed about this site from their desktops?

 

Further information appears at the end of the 45 page PDF which appears to suggest a precis of the shit WSP assessments on this site. The appendix A referred to in part one can be seen below.

DC_06_45887-PART_2-DEPLOYMENT_FORM-684242

From this, of note are these observations.

WSP IDENTIFY THAT THE SITE IS A RISK TO THE HOBNAIL BROOK, YET IT WAS STILL POLLUTED BY THEIR CLIENT’S ACTIVITIES.

 

An “unnamed lake” is of course, the named and known Millpool! 

Their claims about groundwater contamination are utter bollocks and untruthful lies.

This is later taken apart by the EA, but not before they were utterly clueless that pollution via this pathway had taken place for years. 

We get this little gem concerning the incompetence of Sandwell Council officers.

The contaminated land officer, Margaret Gardiner at this point, as well as her boss Richard Norton both were ex rejects of the useless Walsall Council Hazardous waste unit, and were frequent apologists I might add in the protection of Rattlechain and the poisoning of wildfowl activities by the scum that discharged waste there. I am not surprised at the bullshit provable crap written here if true if it was stated that there were “no contaminated land issues”. 😕 

Remember these comments from the NRA which I revealed in the previous post- soak it up Gardiner and Norton….. 🙄

 

Unbelievable statement. But no comment that this was totally unacceptable.

“ALL STORM WATER , SPILLS ETC FLOW TO GROUND AND HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR A CENTURY. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF CONTAMINATED LAND, WITH MANY OLD DRUMS STORED ON BARE EARTH”

As for building control, this brainless dickhead had given permission for demolition of contaminated buildings, but according to this had zero evidence to make an informed decision about the contamination of those buildings and the site!

The contradiction of the above statements should be read in context with those unbelievably spelt out on the next fucking page!

But Sandwell council’s joke contaminated land officer reckons there are no issues!

The greensters then give us a lesson about pollutant linkages, perhaps they should give this to SMBC environmental health officers and the useless EA ones as well.

This refers to the thermal desorption aspect by DGUK, but not the overall project already begun where contamination had already breached the site and gone off site.

By some strange force, the environment agency suddenly decided to comment on this contamination fest fiasco on 6th October 2006, as mentioned earlier in this post. 

What is shocking is that not only had they failed to adequately comment in time for the application being determined but that they heavily criticise the bullshit  WSP reports!

DC_06_45887-ENVIRONMENT_AGENCY_COMMENTS-684229

The first thing to note other than the correspondent is referring to the outline application planning number, is that the only report written prior to the demolition approval from building control, which should really have been a separate planning application in itself was the Geo-environmental assessment in January 2006. The other two were written after this had taken place.

The comments are therefore fairly useless at this stage given that activities affecting controlled waters have already happened on the site!

Groundwater data was not complete and had not been followed up with further results that the EA had seen. This confirms that this regulator was unable to make any infirmed statements about the harmful effects that were now occurring AND AFFECTING CONTROLLED WATERS UNDER THEIR NOSES! How can the results of a contractor even be trusted? Why were the EA not taking tests themselves due to the cowboy operation that had unfolded on this site over many years? 

Kitchen notes that WSP cite harmful contaminants fund in the groundwater, and yet then make the contradictory statement that there is limited effect on the Hobnail Brook and soils leaching into it.

“The results of groundwater sampling indicate that significant (i.e in excess of relevant standards ) contamination has reached the groundwater underlying the site”

I wonder why the useless previously named prats in environmental health at Sandwell council were not able to conclude this?

The EA officer asks a relevant point about existing groundwater contamination, but appears blind to the fact that building demolition has occurred and that tanks known or suspected of containing residue chemicals may have added to the mixtures reaching groundwater.

The methodology of the technical leachate analysis for drawing conclusions is also criticised.

Further contradictions and the lies of WSP are further explored which appears to suggest the technical competence of this consultancy is seriously flawed.

Concerning the January document

“Furthermore, the groundwater results presented in that document indicate that there is significant (i.e in excess of relevant standards ) contamination in the groundwater at the site suggesting either direct spillage has ben made or the contamination in the soils is subject to significant leaching into groundwater.” 

The EA state that targets should be set to ensure that acceptable discharges are reached, but I am afraid that that ship had already sailed due to the late comments of this response. Unacceptable levels, and unquantified by regulation had already reached the Hobnail Brook and beyond.

The conclusions although valid are I am afraid too late. 

The following year the major application appeared.

DC/07/47631 | Proposed construction of 150 residential properties (reserved matters). | Site Of W H Keys Ltd Church Lane West Bromwich West Midlands B71 1BN

An application was made for this below.

DC_07_47631-RESERVED_MATTERS__MAJOR__APPLICATION_FOR_PLANNING_PERMISSION-755991

There is little in the way of interest in the files available on the SMBC planning website for this, except in the application which notes this.

Er, the Environment Agency commented that this was shit, but your clients have already railroaded through a “remediation” scheme that was just about getting rid of everything off site by any means possible- up in the air, through the soil, into groundwater, and down the Hobnail brook.

In the final part of this story, I will look at the impact that this planning disgrace had on wild birds at the millpool and what happened next with those involved in creating that mess.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Millpool West Bromwich#3 MARred by historic pollution and fake “clean up” – Part 1

Millpool West Bromwich#2 The Meltdown of W H Keys

 

This second of four part posts dealing with the pollution issues at Millpool in West Bromwich is mainly technical and outlines the chemicals and regulation of the failed W H Keys Company and its incompetent directors and staff.

Already prior to the 2000’s I have evidenced how this company was polluting the Hobnail Brook and the wider area and affecting aquatic birds at Millpool with their “bitumen based” chemicals and how the way in which this was dealt with by the authorities was not very thorough to say the least.

I asked the EA via an FOI request for information regards the pollution issues arising from this factory and associated water pollution. The reply to this 2008 request is shown below.

This evidence will be set out below.

Prior to 2000, a couple of fires were noted on the site, and were a mentioned threat to offsite sources. Obviously at this stage the previous Hobnail Brook pollution would still have been on the radar of the NRA officers.

The first incident occurred on 28/4/1994 and was a visit connected to a bitumen burner fire where foam was used to extinguish the flammable material. West Midlands Fire Service had alerted their colleagues.

No pollution was noted, although the existing ground contamination is not mentioned or how the residues of this fire would have affected the surroundings. It is noted that although the name of the managing director is redacted by the EA in the request, there are clearly two g’s in the surname. 😉 😉

A further fire on 25/2/1999 occurred in possibly the same unit, and again WMFS were involved.

What we see here is the useless “owner” of the site believing there is a “soakaway” drainage- i.e into contaminating the ground and then groundwater, but WMFS believed there to be foul water severe connections. The mention of “unbranded solvents” on the site is another example of how badly this place was being run by those in charge.

Important regulation changes but still inadequate events would occur on a national basis in the mid 1990’s. The NRA became the Environment Agency in 1997.

In order to regulate and upgrade the use of dangerous substances in industry, the UK Government enacted the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999 and the Amendment Regulations 2005, commonly referred to as COMAH. These regulations amended the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 1992.

COMAH regulations and related guidance supposedly aims to prevent major accidents involving dangerous substances and to limit the consequences to people and the environment of any that do occur. This includes:

  • Identifying installations that store or use a threshold amount of hazardous substances (Lower tier and Top tier)
  • Providing guidelines on the prevention of accidents through the control of substances (Major Accident Prevention Plans, Safety reports)
  • Providing guidance on mitigating the effects of hazards, including the effect on the environment and neighbouring sites, through the development of emergency plans.

The W H Keys site was affected by this legislation, and as part of the FOI request I submitted to the agency, they revealed documents concerning the classification of chemicals held on the site that fell within the COMAH framework. The site was classified as a Lower Tier site- even though several substances on the site, and those that had polluted the ground and beyond were deadly to human health and the aquatic environment!

Again, I will explore and comment on the documents in chronological order.

The letter from The Environment Agency to Keys dated 10/3/2004 refers to an officer site visit to the factory and explains the reasons for COMAH. I’m not sure how 50 tonnes makes it “toxic” when minute quantities of “dangerous substances” are obviously lethal! The EA are the “competent authority” in dealing with this site, though I would add that by my experience this is far from their actual position in practice!

 

Another letter refers to one from Keys, which the EA did not give me in the FOI request. It confirms that Keys had accepted that they fell within the threshold of the legislation. It also refers to “improvement notices” which I will look at further on.

 

COMAH CHEMICALS

There appear to have been three listed chemicals falling within the framework and over the 50 tonne limit. An inspection report explains the position, and I have scanned this for confirmation below. The interaction and use of these chemicals will be explained further on in this post when a near catastrophic incident occurred at the site.

FROM EA COMAH SITE INSPECTION DATED 21/12/2004- SEE FURTHER BELOW IN THIS POST FOR THIS FULL REPORT

Click for full data sheet information. NB All of these substances state that full PPE should be worn when handling, breathing apparatus worn when it is involved in fires, and that medical attention should be obtained when exposed. Not much chance of that when you don’t know what it is is when it gets off site is there? 

orthocresolphenolmix SDS

This “marine pollutant” substance is a mixture of Ortho-cresol and phenol and is a dark brown liquid. It is described as “toxic” to skin contact causing burns and also to aquatic systems. Notably it states that fires should not be fought using water jets. It states “Prevent contamination of soil and water.” and also that it may form “explosive mixtures with air.”

When molten, it states “Prevent from spreading or entering drains, ditches or rivers by using sand, earth or other appropriate barriers. “ It also states that it may solidify and block drains.

Health wise it damages the liver and kidneys with repeat exposure, kills “tadpoles” in yer stick and also forms tumours in experimental animals. 

In the case of this company therefore, they clearly were unable to do this prior to the regulations coming into effect. One wonders how much had solidified in the soil, and was just waiting to be released again to groundwater when made molten? 

I will particularly note the information below which is important to the environmental fate of this insoluble chemical and any attempts later to try and identify unknown dark brown liquid pollution in the Hobnail Brook and the Milky.

It sinks in water, if it enters soil it is mobile and may contaminate groundwater, yet is evanescent meaning that if an EA officer were to receive a report of unidentified “water pollution”- what chance of even identifying the substance days later?

 

cresylic acid SDS

This yellowish liquid is another mixture of cresols and phenol. Once again it is “toxic” and damaging to aquatic organisms.

When burnt it gives of toxic fumes of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

The same warnings concerning risks to drains and water courses are given as the chemical above.

Corrosive and poisonous by absorption. Respiratory lethal.

 

LIGHTS SDS

This corrosive yellow liquid chemical is a mixed low boiling point chlorocresol and is “toxic by inhalation and causes sever burns.”

“Do not let product enter drains, Do not allow product to contaminate groundwater system. “

Unfortunately it is once again quick to disappear in water traceability.

Basically, yer fucked!

Keys supplied the regulation 6 form to the EA on 15/6/2004 to a man called Eaton within The Health and Safety Executive, and I have scanned this in the PDF below.

WHKEYSCOMAH

There is so little information contained in this form as for it to be utterly useless and unfit for purpose. The most information can be read below where it states that “toxic liquids” are stored within the range 50-200 tonnes.

The worst part of this is the liar stating that there are no water courses that may be affected by the operations. Not only was this well known to Keys that water courses HAD been affected by their operations, but also to their regulators as well. The caveat of drinking water is a disgrace given that the River Tame is open and accessible to members of the public and is fed by The Hobnail Brook.

Unfortunately, the (in)competent authority only appear interested in a box ticking exercise and paper shuffling. Notification that it would be put on the public register was later received as per the letter below.

 

The next EA document they provided me with concerns a list of improvement notices they had issued following an inspection of the site. Unfortunately, they did not provide me with the inspection report mentioned in connection with this. What is interesting is the mention of releasing “white spirit vapour” from this site, as well as the Xylene based product. 

EA KEYS IMPROVEMENT AUG2004

The love of the acronym is another observation of these bureaucratic civil service entities. If only they actually meant anything substantial in practice compared to the theory that originated them. Here, we are introduced to MATTES, (Major Accidents to The Environment) and MAPPS (Major Accident Prevention Policy).

The EA wrote to Keys on 5/11/2004 requesting the MAPP for COMAH- you can see how these phrases just reduce the substance of safety to ridiculous proportions. Environmental matters were what the EA were interested in.

Keys duly sent this off with a letter dated 16/12/2004. I have scanned the full PDF below and it only amounts to 10 pages.

WHKEYS MAPP POLICY NOVEMBER 2004

This is another theoretical exercise, and yet there is no specific mention of previous incidents of pollution to the Hobnail Brook or Millpool.

It does outline the roles of The Managing director, works chemist and works manager, and perhaps the closest we get to admission of past incidents is on page 7.

Why had there been a long history of such spills not being detected until the man in charge of this site was informed by the regulators?

On 21st December 2004 the EA performed a pre Christmas COMAH inspection.

WHKEYS COMAH INSPECTION 21DEC2004

The report of 4 pages observes some interesting practices which appear to suggest that health and safety at this site was something for the cameras and for the new regulations, rather than something that was ingrained within the managing director of this site instructing staff as to how they should operate. Note the fact that managers were not wearing breathing apparatus- and in connection with this, please refer to the safety data sheets I have already scanned where it is strongly advised to do so in the three chemicals with which they were obliged to register as a Lower Tier site.

It is of concern to me that the inspector was “unfamiliar” with the site during the guided inspection. Perhaps an unannounced visit may have revealed far more of interest? It is also noted that the ground within the works was “soft” suggesting an easier pathway into soils and drains given it is classed as a “increased risk”. 

The past history of Keys is briefly outlined and the chemicals handled mentioned. I note that Sandwell Council are mentioned as allowing them “releases of solvent”? The hot and cold bitumen statement I find troubling, as it appears that this company have a caveat which is not entirely clear was being enforced by anyone knowledgeable or familiar about the site.

The HSE appear to have told Keys they were to be monitored under the new regulations rather than anyone from the company proactively understanding the new legislation. This again suggests a poor knowledge base from the managing director down. It is also noted that the MAPP report as scanned above has only recently been written, suggesting little in the way of previous health and safety policy with regards for operations at this site. One can see from the historic pictures that this site was a barrel waste graveyard which had bled into the soil and groundwater contaminating all around it.

The following I find unbelievable, and one wonders how they can be regarded as a credible handler of 100 plus tonnes of toxic materials that could cause significant environmental damage and loss of life to an unsuspecting populace of West Bromwich- including two nearby schools! I have marked these as the EA should have-

So in summary Keys had

  • NO ACCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM , EMPLOYEES ARE ONLY “ENCOURAGED” TO REPORT SPILLS, OR NEAR MISSES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT!
  • IF ANYTHING HAPPENED ON SITE, THEY WOULD BASICALLY FUCK OFF AND RING THE FIRE BRIGADE!
  • “THERE IS NO SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING”!!!
  • NO FORMAL IN HOUSE MAINTENANCE SYSTEM FOR STORAGE TANKS OR VESSELS HOUSING MANY TONNES OF TOXIC AND DANGEROUS CHEMICALS.

On the last point, we will see how this unravelled in just a very short time later!

THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL POINT IS MADE BELOW, AND ONE WHICH I WILL REPEAT AND MENTION EVERY TIME THAT ANYONE CLAIMS THAT NO POLLUTION CAME FROM THIS SITE- PARTICULARLY WHEN IT WAS GOING TO BE “CLEANED UP”.

 

Unbelievable statement. But no comment that this was totally unacceptable.

“ALL STORM WATER , SPILLS ETC FLOW TO GROUND AND HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR A CENTURY. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF CONTAMINATED LAND, WITH MANY OLD DRUMS STORED ON BARE EARTH”

Rather than fining them for this or prosecuting any regulations, it appears the EA are content to allow this to continue. I have seen the same thing with Rattlechain and it appears how toothless this quango is when deferring to things of the past continuing. We have seen how this shoddy and incompetent management system polluted controlled waters, and yet nothing changed from the days of the National Rivers Authority.

But it just gets better.

  • THE REGULATORS ARE AWARE THAT “A FIRE IS A LIKELY SCENARIO” AND WOULD LEAD TO “EXTENSIVE CONTAMINATION OF LAND”
  • THERE IS NO CONTAINMENT FOR FIRE WATER. “ALL FIRE WATER WILL PASS TO GROUND” THEREFORE THIS POINTS TO IT PASSING TOWARDS THE DOWN GRADIENT AND DOWN STREAM HOBNAIL BROOK.
  • THE SITE WAS CONTAMINATED ALREADY BUT SPILLS WOULD “PASS TO GROUND”.
  • THE SITE IS ON A HILL- SO DO YOU NOT DRAW ANY CONLCUSIONS AS TO WHERE IT WOULD RUN TO ONCE “PASSING TO GROUND”? 

In conclusion the EA accept that a source-pathway-receptor plausible pollution model exists, but do not state that this had already happened, and well within the knowledge of those running this abysmal fucking factory! IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME THAT THE EA FAILED TO IDENTIFY THE RISKS TO THE HOBNAIL BROOK AND MILLPOOL, WHICH IS NOT EVEN CONSIDERED BY THE INDIVIDUAL “UNFAMILIAR” WITH THE SITE. 

MAJOR ACCIDENTS TO THE ENVIRONMENT (MATTE) EXISTS.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the EA issued the company with an improvement notice, how could they be much worse?) in the new year.

EA IMPROVEMENT NOTICE TO KEYS 7 JAN 2005

There is not much to say here, as it is mostly the legal standing that operates rather than the detail needed as to where this company was failing. This is all we actually get, which means they had little to bite them with if they failed to act within the generous time given them to do so.

Perhaps if COMAH had any teeth and fined companies by the week when they failed to act rather than give them months to act, or had the power to shut down the entire business from operating until compliance was reached then the EA might be a credible outfit. As they are, and as I have seen over many years, they are little more than prefects with a badge and do little to “make a better place” as their logo suggests.

The above statement does not address the contamination already in the ground spoken of, and so how can the EA therefore monitor “new” spillages when they would just be blamed on old ones from the last Century? It does depress me that this organisation appears to be a loophole jockey for things to continue as they were, because that is the way they always have been done, and it’s probably what Major Keys, the freemason, bunged people to look the other way and ignore his polluting business.

Pointless exercise with no teeth.

BITUMEN BLAME GAME

It was perhaps inevitable that this failing company would collapse very soon, but as the new year dawned, a visual metaphor occurred that sums up the scope of the case.

At the site, three large storage tanks labelled T1, T2 AND T3 were present, and yet KEYS themselves distanced ownership of these vessels which received tonnes of the dangerous liquids for which they were governed under COMAH regulations. The EA and the HSE were negligent in not closing down this bullshit or making enquiries about these storage tanks at the earliest stage. The safe containment of the chemicals on site- is it not, their responsibility? 

Another cruddy outfit based in Kent known as PMC Marketing Ltd were the said owners of these corroding old storage tanks. The tale from Keys about the ownership and use of these is outlined in the next EA inspection report shown below. PMC were basically the middleman seller of a product made at the works using the dangerous substances to which Keys were being monitored.

Keys wrote to PMC on 16/2/2005 giving their account of a “major incident”, or perhaps the negligence of the company involving the collapse of one of the tanks T2.

KEYS ACCOUNT OF T2 COLLAPSE

It is noted that from the start, Keys are quick to point the finger at PMC stating that it is owned by them and differentiating between “our” and “your”.

A delivery of 21.2 tonnes of Otho-cresol/phenol mixture was made and 17.15 tonnes were emptied into tank T2. This was a hot mixture of plus 40°C to keep it in a liquid state. To prevent crystallisation at 17°C, a dilutant needed to be added, this being mixed cresols (LIGHTS) which were already in the tank at 16,000 litres. 

Only after the OP1 had been added is it claimed that two operatives from Keys noticed that the tank had began to lean after a cracking noise was heard. Two of the four legs on this tank had broken leaving it leaning dangerously containing the highly toxic mixture.

The fire service were called and Keys started decanting the mixture between the road tanker and an adjacent tanker, ultimately emptying the leaning tower. What is not helpful is their attempt to switch units between tonnes and litres. I wonder if this was to cover up potential spills which they did not give an honest account of before reporting events?

The events of this near disaster are further explained in the subsequent EA inspection 3 days later on 18/2/2005. 

WH KEYS COMAH INSPECTION 18TH FEB 2005

“The mixture is toxic, corrosive and dangerous to the environment.”

“Depending upon the geology/hydrology, this release could have been  sufficient to cause a MATTE to groundwater and/or any controlled waters in continuity”- I.E HOBNAIL BROOK AND MILLPOOL. 

“COULD HAVE RESULTED IN FATALITIES.”

It is clear from the EA report that these tanks were not suitable for purpose and had been an issue and disaster waiting to happen. That they and the HSE and others before had not examined this is to their incompetence it has to be said as regulators! 

What is even more incredible is that PMC/KEYS and an outfit called “con-ren”- (I had to check that name as I thought it said “con-men” which would be a more suitable description of their work) thought that these tanks were suitable for use. Con- men had examined the tanks for PMC bizarrely very recently before this incident passing them off as safe. 😆

tanks were at least 18 years old.

“EXPERT” LOL

FOUR COMAH PROHIBITION NOTICES WERE SERVED

This prohibited use of tanks T1 and T2 and storage of these tanks, suspended manufacture of cresols blending, and prohibited storage of cresols in any other on site vessel.

The HSE also served notices on them as well.

A legacy of shame

The incredible event trail between PMC/KEYS AND CON-MEN is shown in communications held on file.

PMC had written to Keys on 20/12/2004, even referring to the imminent inspection the next day wishing them luck. 😆 The report states that the tanks were examined just 2 years earlier and the results being “very satisfactory”, Double 😆 😆

Lucky they were not implicated in a corporate manslaughter charge!

And so to the inevitable demise of this company which had obviously been coming for some time, though no thanks to the EA and HSE in allowing this fiasco to continue on. The last site visit took place on 6th May 2005. 

This had three Environment Agency Officers namely, Ian Kelsey– who had served the improvement notice which of course was an utter joke, a D Othen and N. Iles. The HSE were also present, though these are redacted in the report. Though it says that one of the EA officers had some familiarity with the site, obviously it wasn’t that much given the lack of knowledge concerning nearby water courses. 

WH KEYS COMAH VISIT 6TH MAY 2005

I will go through the whole report as it is of great relevance to subsequent events, and also one statement in this report which should shame those three EA officers which is patently and evidentially untrue.

The first important point to note is that the EA were told that Keys had gone into administration a month earlier.

It is revealed that BDO Stoy Hayward, blanked out , had taken over the administration of this company. This particular outfit appear quite often in the affairs of dubious companies at their apparent demise I have noted, almost acting as a fulcrum on the sea-saw between polluter and inevitable scummy housing developer sale.

It is quite apparent that this dodgy deal had been in the offing for some time, and maybe the “accident” was a deliberate act in bringing that about. What competent officer of this company would have been as fucking clueless as the managing director of this outfit was in health and safety law and compliance? As it is, this absolute thicko weapon had volunteered to remain at the company- why, when he was as useless as a morning after pill to a nun?

  • MORE THAN 5O TONNES OF THE THREE COMAH REGISTERED CHEMICALS WERE STILL ON SITE IN VARIOUS STATES OF EXISTANCE. 
  • SOME ACTIVITY, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED IN MY OPINION HAD CONTINUED UNDER BDO, WHO HAVE WHAT EXPERIENCE EXACTLY IN THE FIELD OF TOXIC CHEMICALS? 
  • WHY DID THE HSE AGREE TO THIS? 
  • DECONTAMINATION IS DESCRIBED AS “DIFFICULT”- WELL MAYBE NOT IF THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY IS UNAWARE OF LOCAL WATER COURSES THAT MAY BE FLUSHED WITH THESE CHEMICALS? 😉

 

  • “THERE ARE ALSO AREAS WHERE SPILLAGES HAVE OCURRED AND THERE IS PROBABLE LAND CONTAMINATION.”
  • “ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NO DRAINAGE SYSTEMS ON SITE , THERE ARE NO SENSITIVE RECEPTORS, EG RIVERS, CANALS ETC IN CLOSE PROXIMITY”

To mention this in a report these three EA officers show their utter incompetence, knowing fuck all about the site where they were supposed to be preventing from polluting the environment. They had clear records of such pollution from this site, their predecessors knowing full well the risks to The Hobnail Brook and Millpool, as did the twat managing director who had instigated clean up before.

What is clear from the description of the fiasco haphazard storage of chemicals, many unmarked and unseparated between flammable and toxic is how the EA and HSE are not credible authorities to manage COMAH. The EA report talks in future tense, whilst skipping the part where their regulation has totally failed to date, and is shown to be inept from how they describe the scene on site!

Why in this regard would they allow operations to continue? What a fucking joke.

 

No shit Sherlocks!

An inventory of the chemicals alleged to be on site, not that the EA had validated this in their inspections is given. We learn of numerous tanks, some claimed to be empty, but not really “empty” because they were likely still contaminated with residual toxic chemicals.

The final curtain on this part of the story lies with the official demise of W H Keys and its liquidation confirmed in documents held by Companies House.

21st June 2007

Before this date the chemicals on this site would be “removed” in a manner that I will be looking at in Part 3 of this story with disastrous environmental consequences.

As for the directors of this company it is a mystery as to who they actually were at the time of demise, as the records appear to show several named individuals resigning in the 1990’s! Just who was running W H Keys? We do know however that ALL of the below were calling the shots at this company when they were actively polluting the area with their chemical crap from the records the EA supplied me with, and they get NO anonymity from me.

Hear is the list of shame. What is even more disgraceful is that many of them live amongst us in the area in Sandwell, and would have seen the effects their disgusting failed company was having. Maybe their names should be up in “LIGHTS”.

Michael John GRAINGER

  • Resigned: 2 November 1992

However listed as “MANAGING DIRECTOR”

  • Appointed: 26 July 1991

Betty HAWKES 

  • Resigned: 30 April 1998
  • Marilyn HOBDAY

No record of resignation but 

  • Appointed: 30 April 1998

and then again as

  • Appointed: 5 October 2000
  • Occupation: “Company Secretary”

Gillian Frances ALEXANDER

  • Resigned: 21 July 1995

Henry Malcolm Thomas CURTEIS

  • Resigned: 21 July 1995

Brian William KEYS-STATHAM 

  • Resigned: 1 June 1992

David Graham KEYS-STATHAM

  • Resigned: 21 July 1995                                                                                       

Cynthia Mary LEGGE

No record of resignation but 

  • Appointed: 26 July 1991

Michael Keys MOULD

No record of resignation but 

  • Appointed: 26 July 1991
  • Occupation: “Retired Manager”

Sally Elizabeth Jane ROBERT 

  • Resigned: 21 July 1995

John Rees ROBERTS

  • Resigned: 21 July 1995

Janetta Faerie Ruby STATHAM 

  • Resigned: 28 July 1994

Kim Stephen WARD

  • Resigned: 5 July 1996

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Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Millpool West Bromwich#2 The Meltdown of W H Keys

Millpool West Bromwich#1 The Major Bitumen dumping ground of W H Keys

 

The legacy of industrial waste and chemical factories being turned into housing is one which is unravelling, and I have been contacted by several people in different areas of the country with similar observations to ones that surround Rattlechain lagoon. Homes built on contaminated land that had been forgotten, and others proposed on or around totally unacceptable cankerous ground. It will of course not be the green credential liar politicians who approve these schemes that will be sick in the decades to come from the inevitable cancers and illnesses caused by building on chemical laden soils.

Rattlechain is probably the most polluted site in the UK in terms of a waterbody, but there is another in Sandwell which has been a thorn in the side of wildlife and wildfowl for many years of which I have been personally involved and getting doused in stuff that many would not go near.

This is a story I have wanted to tell for some time, and I am now just getting around to it. Once again it involves an abandoned plaything of the former mining/clay extraction industry, in turn becoming a tip and then a forgotten shit hole where pollution in turn creates victims of industrial pollution.

There is quite a bit to this story and I will tell it and my direct involvement in four parts. This first post traces the prior longstanding pollution history before I came on the scene.

THE SOURCE

It appears typical as I have found with Albright and Wilson and the other dodgy chemical firms in Oldbury that military connections, political family dynasty’s and freemasonry got you far in life in the 20th Century.

W H Keys was a disgusting local polluter specialising in Bitumen based products which made them highly flammable as well as surfactant troublesome when coming into contact with water. Their connections no doubt made many look the other way when it came to their environmental legacy, and I do wonder for how many years this continued?

An ad from 1970, thus confirming the business had been set up in 1885.

The Keys family members of note were Samuel Keys, (fingers in the pie with The West Bromwich Corporation/Council) who had sons including William Hall Keys – the origin of the company, and Harry Keys. The family association with West Bromwich Albion football club offers another insidious route into the poisoning ingratiation into the area, and it could be argued that this club has always had such an effect on the town as a “firm” in itself. Why does it attract so many political followers and associates even today? 

All the brothers including another Clement had positions with WBA, and the biggest player in the WH Keys firm in the 20th Century would be Henry Wilson Keys 1892-1974.

Typical. 23/6/64 Birmingham Evening Mail

The “great war hero” baggie boy Major, (maybe not the one from Fawlty Towers) 😆 thus had a power base with which to wield his pipe and became a big player if you’ll excuse the pun in The Football Association as well as with The Hawthorns.

It also comes as no surprise that Keys were a British Military contractor in WW2, and even coincidentally were occupiers of the Portishead docks “refining bitumen” before AW took over the area.

Croaked 1974, as announced in 14/9/74 Sports Argus

It is perhaps ironic and maybe poetic justice that this “industrialist” was taken ill at the creosote vat central HQ at Church Lane. It is not surprising that I have traced several incidents during and after his time at the helm which show this pompous British Empire war family scum for what they really were, and once again, with the depressing familiarity of that which I have already exposed with Albright and Spillsome. Fires, deaths, spillages, pollution, but moreover cover up. 

An early one as reported in Chemical Age from December 23rd 1926

Published: Wednesday 25 July 1962 Newspaper: Coventry Evening Telegraph

What a surprise “accidental death”- so no come back on the Major and his WBA position. 

Published: Saturday 29 September 1962 Newspaper: Birmingham Daily Post

The oil storage tanks at this site would become a regular major accident hazard in the years to come, and after the factory had closed- as will be seen. The canal in question is The Ridgacre Canal and or off spurs known as The Halford’s Branch and Jesson Branch . You can imagine the pollution that would have been given off from this incident- and as I will show, the pathway which it would have gone. 

Published: Monday 03 August 1970 Newspaper: Birmingham Daily Post

 

Bitumen tank fires at the site- a recurring theme of pollution. 

Published: Monday 01 October 1979 Newspaper: Sandwell Evening Mail

Piping out the Admiral Published: Wednesday 05 May 1982 Newspaper: Sandwell Evening Mail

Yet again!

Published: Wednesday 24 February 1988 Newspaper: Sandwell Evening Mail

 

This repeat fire occurrence then sets the scene that would become a pollution timebomb for further afield as will be demonstrated towards the end of the 1980’s- though it should be stressed, this would have been happening for decades prior to this. 

THE PATHWAY

Let’s look at the surrounding area to what was the W H Keys factory. O.S maps from the late 19th/early 20th Centuries show The Hall End works located in Hateley Heath. The Ridgacre canal is shown as well as a now infilled branch called the Halford and Jesson Branch which was off this. Most importantly, a brook known as The Hobnail brook passes East of the Keys works. The works were in an elevated position on a hill with embankments.

An overlay map with todays imagery shows how housing has swamped the area and the direction of The Hobnail Brook flow downhill.

The brook course flows through Clarkes Lane still in a downward gradient towards The Millpool Colliery.

The brook also continues towards a marshy area below the Millfield Colliery and an apparent pool, which is The Millpool. 

The discoloured Millpool is visible from the overlay from today confirming the same position. The Hobnail brook flows into the Millpool via a large inlet and from there exits via an outlet towards Rydding Lane and Hydes Road where it joins the River Tame flowing towards Bescot.

From research it is apparent that this brook course was formerly largely open and not culverted as it is today.

Historic pictures from 1954 show much detail and the emerging Hateley Heath Estate being built. The brook course is entirely open and barrels from these works presumably have just rolled down the embankment.

The correct position can be identified by the distinctive spur basin and the footbridge which doesn’t appear to have changed in the 50+ years between the map and visual pictures.

Canal barges are parked outside the works which are littered with barrels and apparent little regard for environmental issues. Bitumen waste must have been everywhere on the site and mixed within the soils and the downhill gradient must have regularly affected the Hobnail Brook via groundwater pathways.

The positions of the emerging new streets are shown and how The open Hobnail Brook passed through Kesteven and Lindsey Road towards Clarkes Lane, in the shadow of the factory on the hill. The brook is of course now hidden by a pathway through the named “Kesteven green”.

Barrelled waste in the works and in the Hobnail Brook

After WW2, it appears that The West Bromwich Corporation and then Sandwell Council covered over and up the pollution flowing from the Hill. I have found this notice from 1954 , the same year as the pictures for example.

A further article from 1976 gives more detail. Unfortunately, it is because of fuckwit councillors that companies like WH Keys were able to hide their pollution underground. Did these fools think that more acceptable to the public, or were they so short sighted as to not realise how difficult it would be to trace back the pollution when underground? Or was it perhaps the case that they were just looking after the interests of this West Bromwich Albion connected polluter?

Clearly, this brook was the vessel with which the bitumen bastards offloaded waste. The section referred to appears to be that which leaves the Millpool and continues on to The River Tame.

THE RECEPTORS

With a direct pathway via the Hobnail Brook from the source of pollution- The WH Keys factory, The Millpool was a vessel which received the bituminous crap , and from there, the River Tame itself.

The name “Millpool” is fairly generic, and is known locally as “The Milky” because of its colour and nothing else as some have suggested- such as the preposterous “Mill Quay”. The colour has always been shite because the pollution into it has always been shite- it really is that simple. 

My best guess is that the pool itself was used as a mines drainage facility between the two Collieries, The Millpool, and The Millfield. It also of course fed the River and served as a pollution carrier from further afield including that from Keys.

An overlay map with today’s imagery shows the dense urbanisation of the area and the Hobnail brook totally buried beneath concrete and hidden from view.

Collieries. 

Just a little but not extensive research on these as it is not really the subject of this blogpost, except to say that I am having none of it regards these two causing pollution in the Millpool in the latter part of the 2oth Century and any attempts to muddy the waters with such crap. That of course is the type of bullshit that apologists of companies like Keys and the Albright and Wilson’s of this world always attempt to divert attention from the now, by going back further into the past.

The Millpool Colliery was owned at one point by a Thomas Millership, and as can be seen, his son Edward died here making it clear the risks that these guys took to get coal.

 

Published: Thursday 02 July 1868 Newspaper: Birmingham Daily Post

The same can be said for the nearby Millfield Colliery where another tragedy unfolded at the end of the Century.

Published: Wednesday 05 July 1899 Newspaper: Northern Echo

As a footnote to this The two collieries were owned near to their demise by The Patent Shaft and Axletree Company– Millpool closing in 1914 and Millfields a year later. Obviously the First Great Reset otherwise known as “WW1” saw many pits and brickworks closing for good by the end of the 1910’s. This Wednesbury Company are associated perhaps not coincidentally by the Lloyd family, who had Wednesbury as their personal fiefdom as The Albright and Wilson’s ran Oldbury at the same time. Sampson Lloyd was  related by marriages of his parents and brother to the Wilson family, and he was a vice chairman of this company until near his death in 1874.

There is a gap in historic records for now as to what became of the milky after the building of Menzies High school in the 1960’s and later extensions added in the 1970’s. This land at one point was in the ownership of that school, including land over the culverted Hobnail Brook which ran underneath the sports hall in Gordon Avenue. Sandwell Council however largely forgot about this site as a result of that and though window dressing coppicing work and litter picking may have taken place, the elephant in the room- the heavily industrially polluted shit hole in the middle of a housing estate alluded them.

This survey below that I have scanned was apparently undertaken by The West Midlands County Council , but the date of 1988 cannot be right as this council was abolished in 1986? This does however note the pollution within the pool, though no water or more importantly sediment sampling took place to confirm what it was. 

millpool suvery WMCC

My earliest dealings with the Milky start in the mid 1980’s, and at this time the pool was not frequently polluted every day. Swans and other wildfowl were present, as the above survey attests and the reedbed areas that had no doubt been there for decades shielded much of the grime as it could.

What is clear from historic records however that I have obtained from an FOI request to The Environment Agency is how their predecessor, The National Rivers Authority became involved in investigating pollution of this pool, via the Hobnail brook traced back to The WH Keys site.

I set these out in chronological order with discussion. N.B some of these were not very well scanned by the EA, and they have also redacted names of individuals. It is also worth pointing out that I rely on the EA to have provided all the incidents they hold and cannot confirm that these are all the records that they hold, rather the ones they provided to me. The NRA records are also records that were reported to them, and therefore only reliant on members of the public reporting events. The pollution was likely happening many times unreported given the pathway off the W H Keys site. 

One issue which can be observed by this is the lack of identification of the chemicals involved or confusion, possibly because the staff are not able to test for specific chemicals but general parameters concerning oxygen levels , ph etc. Even today, the EA officers are still fucking clueless using the same crap equipment, and I note how they were unable to test for white phosphorus at Rattlechain lagoon, and set any consent limits to off site discharges FFS!

I also say I find it astounding that the officers in The National RIVERS Authority did not appear to investigate the pollution beyond the Millpool and Hobnail Brook itself, despite surely knowing that it feeds into The RIVER Tame via an outfall! If they did, then why did they not even mention this in the reports?

3/6/89

This attendance by the NRA is as we shall see a reactive one days after an incident has been reported to them- in this case by the RSPCA who have been out to rescue distressed birds- notably “a swan removed”. It is worth pointing out that their attendance may also have been days after the pollution occurred, with a member of the public only noticing something wrong by chance after the birds have been affected and become oiled. This could put the original pollution incident a week or more BEFORE the NRA even tested the pool or Hobnail Brook course. We therefore see them picking up the trail AFTER the polluter and the pollution have possibly left the scene- washing through via the outfall of the Hobnail Brook into the River Tame towards Bescot. 

They claim that the Hobnail Brook “feeder stream” has no pollution present, so this confirms how it has all gone through to the millpool and beyond fairly rapidly. The “residual bitumen” and the previous spill referred to perhaps demonstrate their inability to hold this company to account.

The subsequent hand written continuation of this page was poorly scanned by the EA, but it can be seen that W H Keys, named, had accepted responsibility and had attempted to clean up the areas of the pool, and no doubt the brook course pathway that they had contaminated. I don’t see this as acceptable on the part of the NRA that they left it at this, as the so called “residual bitumen”- a harmful substance in the aquatic environment was obviously still causing issues for birds- hence the RSPCA attendance.

28/6/89

Another “residual bitumen” reference a few weeks later, showing how this chemical that should never have been there was still causing problems and how it had not been removed from the pool it was affecting.

This incident refers again to a “previous significant pollution incident” with “residual bitumen” present on the lake. It is also clear that the vegetation, reed beds on the site were holding back and trapping the bitumen, thus causing more devastation to nesting birds within these areas. The fact that it was hidden and they left this is remiss of this authority, as is the fact that Keys were not prosecuted. The NRA as do the EA have no concept of what “significant” is when affected oiled birds are present, with very limited spills causing significant issues when they preen. Birds could also have flown off contaminated to other pools and then become affected after preening and rubbing more contamination into their feather structure.

2/10/90

This incident just a year later again involved “affected swans”. 

The subsequent page is more detailed than before and two different hand written reports are made which I have scanned separately for discussion.

“Lumps of tar and associated oil residues were coming out of the inlet to the pool (via the culverted Hobnail Brook).”

We therefore see a first hand account of the pathway into this pool and a description of the chemicals itself. They installed a boom at the culvert, though as has been seen already, the pollution would have now dispersed and been trapped within the reedbed areas.

I can reveal that the redacted name and organisation to be Jan Harrigan of Wychbold Swan Rescue. The RSPCA had brought in two oiled swans. It is clear that the RSPCA had not bothered to report the incident to the NRA! Pollution it is claimed was lingering on the banks of the pool- and thus could have washed back in with heavy rainfall.

Sandwell Council grassed up W H Keys as the likely source. What is concerning here is that it is claimed that no historic record of this was available, which is of course bullshit given the incident the previous year!

W H Keys were visited yet the cunt in charge did not know of a problem, but was obviously aware of the consequences of playing dumb. A manhole in Sussex Avenue, (at the bottom of the hill to the factory) revealed no visible pollution but a strong smell of tar.

The Keys idiot then claimed that they would clean up the pool, yet thought that this was another “residual incident”. What is clear to me and any other imbecile is that this was a frequent event under the incompetence of this site manager and the directors of this well connected polluter.

The subsequent visit just one day later written by someone else shows how this pollution becomes worse after rainfall, flushing more pollution out via the Hobnail Brook into the pool.

Again the company were left to clean up their mess.

A site meeting held the following week at their site reveals that someone from Sandwell Council lifted a manhole at “brook culvert immediately d/s (down stream) Key’s site. This confirmed tar/bitumen to have arisen from that site”. 

We therefore confirm here the source-pathway-receptor pollutant linkage between W H Keys and the Millpool via the Hobnail Brook. 

Once again the berk at Keys could not account for the company being at fault. What we get however is a cack handed attempt by Sandwell council to stop the issue, and one I believe could well have caused more serious issues years later when the fake “clean up” of this site took place. 

The particular drain was “partially blocked off” only and yet again it appears that Keys were not charged with the serious damage that they had caused.

23/6/91 or 2? The writer obviously did not know what year it was. 

 

The RSPCA had contacted the NRA again concerning pollution and affected birds at this site. Obviously the crap that had gone before and the pathetic suggestion to stop it happening again had not worked.

Once again a source from the Hobnail Brook via the culvert is known to have spewed out bituminous material into the milky. The NRA at least knew where to look this time.

“In view of the foregoing manholes on the culverted brook were lifted u/s (up stream) at Clarkes Lane and immediately d/s W H Key (sic) Ltd. Inspections at these locations indicated Keys to be the source although the amount of contamination now present was only minimal….” 

Once again this refers to a previous spillage and speculates that the historic contamination of this site was to blame though the mention of a penstock valve which was not fully closed is a vital piece of information which I put on record here as to events that would unfold later. “Upon inspection it was found that this valve was slightly open thereby allowing release of accumulated groundwater/bitumen mixture. “

The rest of the report appears to confirm the RSPCA had removed wildfowl “at risk” from the contamination in the millpool. Keys were again left to allegedly clean up their mess, though obviously not the ground underneath their works and the bitumen contaminated soils.

I am aware through subsequent visits when I came upon the scene that the millpool enjoyed a respite from the Keys contamination. The penstock valve appears to have worked up to a point as in the mid to late 90’s I did not observe any issues of the type aforementioned.

Taken around 1993/94

The biggest issue was due to flooding of nests in the reeds due to the way in which the Hobnail brook flushes out water into the milky during heavy rainfall. This resulted in a swan nest being flooded a couple of times, though they were successful on a couple of occasions after we had installed a raft on the pool which served as a safe point away from the edges of the pool.

The scene however would not last, and greater pollution issues would again affect these birds and the millpool from the same observed source W H Keys. 

The old Sandwell council logo on the street sign for Lindsey Road. Black bitumen laced products from WH Keys had been flowing underneath this road for decades via the Hobnail Brook. What an apt metaphor for the area.

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The Urban Village People

The West Midlands Combined Authority. We know a song about that entity…….

Young man, you got some brownfield land?
I said, young man, we’ll give you cash in your hand
I said, young man, yes we’ll build a new town
There’s no need to go to planning

Young man, yes we’ll fix it for you
I said, young man, protect our greenbelt view
You can stay there and I’m sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time

The public pays for the W.M.C.A.


the gravy train at the W.M.C.A.
we have everything
For young men to enjoy
You can hang out with all the boys

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The public pays for the W.M.C.A.

The public pays for the W.M.C.A.

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You can get yourself rich
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Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, what do you want to be?
I said, young man, you can make real estate dreams
But you’ve got to know this one thing

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No man, does it all by himself
I said, young man, hide your money on the shelf
And just go there, to the W.M.C.A.
I’m sure they can help you today

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The public pays for the W.M.C.A.
the gravy train at the W.M.C.A.

They have everything for young men to enjoy
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The public pays for the W.M.C.A.
the gravy train at the W.M.C.A.

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You can get yourself rich
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Young man, I was once in your shoes
I said, I was down and out with the blues
I felt, no man cared if I were alive
I felt the whole world was so jive

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That’s when someone came up to me

And said, young man, take a walk with Mayor Street
There’s a place there called the W.M.C.A.
They “build you back better” on your way

 

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The public pays for the  W.M.C.A.

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W.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the W.M.C.A.
Young man, young man, there’s no need to feel down
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W.M.C.A.
The public pays for the W.M.C.A.
Young man, young man
Are you listening to me?
Young man, young man
What do you want to be?

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W.M.C.A.
You buy in at the
W.M.C.A.
Young man, young man
Does it all by himself
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Hide your money on the shelf

 

W.M.C.A.
And just go to the
W.M.C.A.
Young man, young man, I was once in your shoes
Young man, young man, I was down with blues
W.M.C.A.

#ANYONEBUTSTREET2024

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Opinion- The WMCA is facilitating economic fraud- It’s time to choose a side

 

 

The polluter pays principle is usually defined as

“those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the environment.”

The research that myself and others have done to uncover the original polluters, in my case the doomwatch list of West Midlands former landfill sites has been systematically hampered by civil servants- particularly in The Environment Agency who want to stop people finding out “what’s in your backyard”.  They want to stop people finding out the truth as to what waste was dumped there historically and the links to human and environmental health from being known. It was not hard to find out the companies who were despoiling the land prior to the 1990’s, or the individuals behind those companies- but they have attempted to make it harder to muddy the waters of history. One can only conclude they have done this because they are either bent, or their political paymasters have told them to, and they are also bent. 

An ENDS article by Danny Halpin explored some of the issues and featured the case of Rattlechain Lagoon. Building houses close to or on top of landfill sites is a bloody stupid idea- any fool would know that. But pretending to “clean them up”, making them “shovel ready” , the “brownfield first” policy and other such soundbites appears to be the new mantra of fake green credential politicians , whose real aim is to serve their masters in the construction industry whilst also helping their agricultural farming mates to land bank for another day. So we get “the housing crisis” and “climate emergency”- more fake doom promoted by their friends in the mainstream media and Globalist think tanks in an attempt to change our behaviour and make their cash building more palatable to a gullible coerced public.

History has shown that the former West Midlands County Council was an absolute shit show in terms of regulating toxic waste. Their legacy and its governance is the one which we are left with today.

At this time, and probably when their gravy train was finally  wound up in the mid eighties, the image below was the one they were trying to project- that of outsiders interfering in West Midlands matters and a faceless “them” defined by a man wearing a bowler hat in Whitehall.

The truth of the matter is, Whitehall continues to run the West Midlands and always has, the deception is with the visual fraud of “levelling up”, “growth areas” and other such terms which gravitate down. Add these to the aforementioned fake doom I have already mentioned and you can see how the political class attempt to sway the “calamity” from happening with the solutions to problems that do not really exist. Always question the narrative with PROBLEM- REACTION-SOLUTION and politicians. 

So then enter the man-beast bastard son of  this failed quango now known as “The West Midlands Combined Authority”. The authority formally came into being on 17th June 2016 but was created without any public vote or mandate to establish it. It was a political invention for which  some people are paid extra allowances for doing fuck all but blowing hot air in the press, oh and wearing a hardhat.

“Local” democracy devolution was the brainchild of Globalist war criminal scum bag Tony Blair and co. There was a no brainer in that London was the first to elect  a “metro mayor” in a referendum test as this particular area is known for its mental illness in inflicting self damage upon itself through electoral means and also supporting a Royal Family fascist autocracy without question. I base this on

  • Their tendency to re-elect the Khant, whose administration wants to ban cars, tax them for parking in their own street and making up statistics about air quality. They also of course chose Red Ken and Boris Johnson before that!
  • Their support for the biggest body mafia of fraud known as The European Union and wanting to remain a part of it.
  • Protesting every week about something or other in an echo chamber of their own back yard believing the rest of the country really give a shit.

Also not surprisingly, you can look to Northerners to see through bullshit and deal in common sense. A Referendum held in 2004 derailed the rollout of Barony across the UK when they rejected such a system there.

And so the Globalists then plotted a railroad without mandate with the “Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016” forcing mayors upon us without a vote. They all have the same “2030 agenda”, waffle about “climate emergencies” and want to set up zonal 15 minute cities or similar to lock us down. Transport on two wheels and rail building projects are their major MO. 

They are there simply to enact the vision of the Octopus World Economic Forum, and if you don’t believe me, then read this article as to where that vision wants to go.

At the helm of this useless vessel in The West Midlands is one Andrew Street– a former businessman from John Lewis and a completely dishonest man. His agenda is not making OUR lives better, not creating “affordable homes”- whatever that bullshit trite phrase even means, but building houses for the economic migrants that have been allowed to infest this country through protracted wars that have nothing to do with us and by the EU which wants to offload them onto us.

With birth rates falling in the native population in the UK, the house builder companies would not have any reason to be, and that is where their plan is eased by their political mates- for the last 13 years by the most corrupt and sleaze ridden party in UK politics history- The Conservative Party.

The swell of globalisation allows the excuse of breaking up the UK and its National identity into the regional bullshit zones where the dictators call the shots on behalf of their masters from Brussels and beyond. House building also supplies the crooked mates of the mayors in this sector to railroad through planning laws which have systematically been destroyed in favour of the developer and not residents. It allows the crooked agricultural industry to hang on a landbank their so called “greenbelt” . When the likes of Michael Gove come out with claiming that his Government would force through targets on councils, (in Labour areas of course), and yet ban such enforcements in rural Tory voting areas, you can see where the lie of “levelling up” is really going, and how people outside our area are really still calling the shots.

Businessmen make the very worst politicians as they construct a landscape in their favour- Problem-reaction-solution- for their own ends. Failed journalists make the second worst type of politician as they are so vain and narcissistic and have a symbiotic relationship with those they claim to be holding to account- think Boris Johnson, Anna Soubry, and of course “the miserable pipsqueak of a man” himself.

The house building target scam and “crisis” is one which is unravelling.

  • The homes are not affordable, and the developers do not pay their way and are allowed to change conditions almost immediately after approval.
  • They do not finish what they start and go easily into administration , only to rise like a phoenix as something else with the same directors.
  • Some companies excel at lying and dishonest selling like Barratt Homes, the ones who built houses on the former sewage works next to Rattlechain.
  • “brownfield” and “greenbelt” are terms that really mean surrendering Labour votes in towns and saving Tory votes in the Countryside.
  • A gravy train for the political class that attend a property investment event every year in the South of France. That sounds local to The West Midlands doesn’t it?
  • Unforeseen problems that exist on these brownfield sites such as mine shafts and gas pipelines FFS! . The coal authority is one of the biggest swindlers of information that is not historically correct, yet their records are misused by planning agents to give sites a clear bill of health.

The so called “Coseley new village” that is really going to impact Tipton and not Conservative controlled Dudley.

Added to this we see land in our region owned by one of its worst polluters- Severn Trent. Street’s regime has seen it do deals with this body, as his party have systematically failed to hold the privatised water industry to account and still pollute our few green spaces with impunity.  He also of course bigged up The Commonwealth Games in the now bankrupt city that had the ghastly STW as one of its sponsors. Yet still this denialist joke believes it was a big success, and good money is thrown after bad with woke non entity sports getting tax payers cash. 

Birmingham tax payers will be paying off this debt for a generation, and yet Andy Street thinks kabaddi is a vote winner- well maybe it is for some in the region. 😉

New policy introduced by The Conservatives including the ridiculous “biodiversity net gains” will see the creation of phantom “forests” and wank “wetlands” – more in practice a run off ditch for Severn Trent Water’s shite like the one below. The “Eco homes” sham with their electric chargers outside will not address the cobalt mines killing kids in foreign countries, and the disposal issues of these types of batteries. All show- no sense in practice.

Brownfield building is a con which pays and rewards the polluter and does not make them pay. The West Midlands Combined Authority headed by Street has already seen it pay public money to clear up contaminated land that the polluter did not deal with. 

“those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the environment.”

As part of a campaign leaflet, he had the guile to even tell us how much public money was being used to pay to “clean up” private land.

  • We again get here the fictitious “covid crisis”- the fascistic imprisonment of The British people between 2020-2021. Politicians kept the construction industry open of course because their own money is heavily planted within this sector. They also of course constructed fraudulent PPE contracts for themselves and their cronies and are lying thieving criminals for doing so.
  • It is claimed that he negotiated £350 million- so therefore proves that money is still coming from a central place in Whitehall.
  • The “clean up” is of private land- the polluter does not pay- we do.  What is to boast about that? Waste contractors and those who filled holes with rubbish should pay, and not us.
  • He talks of Friar Park- the Severn Trent owned land that the bent deal was done with- a multi million pound private company failing to pay its way and clear up its own sites. Fuck off Andy you are a conman in a suit stealing money from the public purse, robbing Peter to pay Paul. 

A very dirty deal

In the coming months before May, I will be unravelling the Brownfield building scam and the WMCA polluter doesn’t pay fraud for what it is in a number of posts.

  • I have already listed two parts of the former Shidas Lane fiasco, SEE HERE, AND HERE, and will be outlining the third as to how the legacy of Accles and Pollack and then a prolific foundry sand dumper making a habit out of not paying for pollution was scraped out using tax payers cash to create an ambulance base. In between, a highly dubious Jersey registered company suddenly sold this land prior to it receiving tax payers money for “clean up”, with Mike Birds Conservative Walsall council strangely being named on the title register deeds as lender. Bird of course is one of the WMCA big spongers getting extra cash himself for a position no one elected him to do.

Registered in Jersey- A BIG RED FLAG , and run through a law firm in the UK.

Street had this to say when I questioned him on tax havens and giving money to bodies based “off shore” in 2017, and his response was fairly evasive in itself I have to say

“The general point on that- (long pause), It’s not what one would hope for quite frankly, but I er, I don’t think we can rule it out just for that. We could set a criteria, I don’t think we’ve done it but I always hope and my record on this which I’ve made very clear- I’ve always said that companies must be domiciled here, must pay their tax here , that was the debate with amazon . So I think I’ve got good form on this but can’t actually rule something out in this of being able to apply for the fund.”

So there it is, a green light to register a company for years and dodging tax, and then setting up or “selling it” to a UK intermediate handler to be able to get tax payers cash for purposes of eventual sale without paying anything to clean it up themselves- that is what the WMCA via Street are promoting. 

  • I will be outlining the pollution of Millpool in West Bromwich and the fraudulent “ultra heat treatment” used by the scam and scum house builder company known as “Mar City Developments” and one of the worst and most incompetent run factories in the country- W H KEYS LIMITED. 
  • Then there is the land at Bourne Street in Coseley as well as many others that Street salivates over building houses on crap land for his mates.

It is also worth noting that Street has made an attempt at a so called “hostile takeover” of the other non mandated position of “Police and Crime Commissioner” where quite frankly politicians should not be allowed to interfere in police affairs- least of all from investigating tax evasion, money laundering abroad and malfeasance in public office.

In 2024 it will be first past the post and not the supplementary transfer votes system which means that this has yet again turned into a Conservative/Labour show and demonstrates how they have both orchestrated something the public never voted for into the familiar two horse fascistic race. Democracy?- don’t make me fucking laugh.

I will of course be examining the credentials of the Labour Mayoral candidate as we progress, with any other minor parties not worth bothering with, as they stand no chance in hell of being elected. My concern is two cheeks, same arse.

AT THIS YEARS MAYROAL VOTE, GIVE US A REAL VOTE ON SCRAPPING THIS POSITION AND THE WMCA AND ALL THE WASTE IT ENTAILS. THE POLITICIANS ARE NOT ON OUR SIDE, THEY SIDE WITH PAYING THE POLLUTER USING OUR MONEY.

#ANYONEBUTSTREET2024

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Happy 2024- Your alternative toxic calendar

Are you lucky enough to live in the 1km HSE consultation zone?

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, except if you worked for Albright and Wilson or Rhodia, in which case UP YER BUM!!

Yes it’s that time of year when Solvay push a calendar through local doors blowing their own trumpets, and trying to keep a lid on their own apparatus in the vile production units containing enough dangerous chemicals to wipe out an entire city.

This year, tomorrow to be exact, marks 15 years to the day since they released a toxic assault onto the local area.

It took years for the truth to come out about that one.

 

                 >>>>>>DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CALENDAR BELOW<<<<<< 

 

2024 TOXIC CALENDAR

Don’t forget, The information contained in this calendar is important- please keep it in a *safe place *(preferably not in Oldbury).

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Albright’s toxic archives #46 The Wilson/Threlfall retirement Powwow

 

They did like their social gatherings in “the society of friends” and banquets and feasts- from pig to man and from man to pig again.  I have already revealed the centenary event of 1951 held at The Savoy Hotel and the vast guest list. It was an ode to gluttony of the high class Quaker parasites, many of whom were blood sports enthusiasts. I cannot convey how much I hate and despise the society of friends and all their ideas political and social engineering wise– they were eugenicists and their octopus tentacles spread through political, business and other links where they could manipulate policy to further their avarice through “social policy reform”. They pulled the strings of puppets in their control- particularly in local Government and planning and health circles and they are to be detested for this whilst maintaining some pious position in matters of war where the outcome whichever way would benefit their favour.

I have recently found another gem of a do, this time located far away from grimy phosphorus polluted Oldbury and certainly Rattlechain lagoon.

This particular event held 12 years after the centenary shindig saw the retirement bash of the author of the book “100 years of phosphorus making “ Richard Evelyn Threlfall and John Cristopher Wilson, more usually referred to as “Christopher Wilson”. 

Before I get to that let’s look at a biography of these two particular gentlemen. We’ll start with Wilson first- a this was your life moment if you like.

John Christopher Wilson 

This gormless looking bastard was the son of  George Wilson and Grandson of founder John Edward Wilson, aka “Uncle Albert”. The younger of two brothers, the elder one called Kenneth, Christopher as he was usually referred to arrived at Oldbury in 1919, became a director in 1921 and secretary in 1932. He remained on the board until his retirement in 1963.

Quaker bandits

In terms of marriage, the brothers Wilson obviously had a passion for a little chocolate desert. Kenneth appears to have gone for a Cadbury creme egg, whereas our man Chris appears to have preferred a little Fry‘s Turkish delight fetish. 😛

We can therefore see how the Quakers married within their own kind, eugenicists that they were, as their “villainous tribe” monopoly of certain industries was strengthened by eradicating the competition. Note the other names that appear here in the Wilson tree, Lloyds, in particular appear to have been a banking favourite.

JC was another Oxbridge oik . Allegedly he fought in ww1 and was wounded at The Somme. I am somewhat surprised at this given the supposed pacifist nature of the Quakers but quite a bit went on in those trenches and not all of it actually happened at all- stolen valour?.

The picture below I believe was taken in 1967, after the retirement, but shows the two brothers still involved in affairs at this company. This was another Albright World spin piece. Though they may be sitting down, they are in control of affairs with an index card system as though those queueing have to wait their turn. I bet none of those standing made it to the retirement gig.

 

Richard Evelyn Wilson. 

We have this man to thank for the largely unverified accounts of what went on at Trinity Street and beyond between the years 1851-1951. I have already taken apart many of the embellishments, particularly concerning the Albright and Wilson war record. Some of this I’m not sure if he just made up. For example the claims about Lord Haw Haw calling out Albright and Wilson I have found no evidence for in archive material concerning Joyce, and there is no artefact cited to back up the claim in the book. There are also several transcription errors in the book, of which I have several copies, and one of them has pencil crossings out which appear to have been added by someone in the know.

Many of Threlfall’s stories have found their way into more modern history books, but I would be careful when using these as they may not be true.

The Threlfall family appear to have been a unique example of the society of friends using a wider circle for their aims. Sir Richard Threlfall, the patriarch walrus faced behemoth, had his sons W.B Threlfall and R.E Threlfall follow in his footsteps amongst the director dignitaries at Phosphorus towers setting them up before he croaked in 1932. The elder brother R.E was a former managing director at Stourbridge glass firm Plowden and Thompson, which specialised in laboratory apparatus. Posh school boy Dicky went to Oundle and then Caius College Cambridge. 

It appears that the brothers Threlfall were also blood sport enthusiasts, and the younger W.B was quite at home in one of the capitals of animal cruelty- Ireland, spending many years at the AW Ibex works. It is written by R.E Threlfall that “their boyhood (had) been initiated by their father into “The Wild Sports of The West of Ireland“, the love of which they never lost”. 

Wild Kraken Octopus GIF - WildKraken Octopus DancingOctopus - Discover ...

THE MENU AND VENUE

It firstly has to be said that this appears a down market and rather plain menu card compared to the gold leaf specimen from 1951. Of course, the paedophile logo gives a clue as to the company at large from which these two belonged.

Tallow Chandlers Hall is no doubt a part of the London mason mafia of livery companies, and would have been the perfect choice for the society of friends. Based in Southwick, it is a million miles away from Oldbury.

It is perhaps not a surprise with the aquatic actors at this do that there was  fish life on the menu that night- of course any molluscs  would have been virtual cannibalism for the black ink squirting Quaker bastards. 😆

A French theme pervades the palette. There was Mouse of Pâté and tongue followed by Grilled Trout and anchovy butter.

A throwback to the hunting scum saw roast grouse and the trimmings.

A canapé Diane is I have discovered, a hot canapés of rectangles of buttered toast, topped with slices of bacon and chicken livers. Absolutely fucking revolting. 😡

Fruit and coffee was also on offer, but let’s get to the continental plonk which is where the champagne liberals really spent their money whilst no doubt toasting the poor of Oldbury. Bottoms up old boys!

Meursault Chamres 1959– a white wine

Chambolle Musigny 1955– A red wine

Croft 1945 A Port- I’ll recommend a much cheaper one from 2023 than this especially to economic migrants coming across the channel.

Hine V.S.O.PA brandy

 

 

After their retirement just to link a few pages I have already put together.. Wansborough Jones took over on retirement 

The 1960’s would see the disastrous Long Harbour venture which nearly put them out of business.

The end of the two vile families investiture into the board would cease with the retirement of war dodger Bill Albright in 1980. 

Of course, you and I can only dream of feasting like the Sea World kings, but this Christmas, I’ve decided to have some old “friends” for dinner- bon appétit!

Hannibal GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

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Albright’s chu chu

Sorry steam engine buffs, but I’m not a fan.

I have looked at how toxic and highly dangerous chemicals came to be carried through residential Oldbury HERE.

This post is an addition to that piece in that I came across a hand drawn and rather neat colour artefact of how this rail line ran into the Trinity Street works. Having viewed the MOS wartime factory plans, it is a very accurate representation of this former off spur. I know nothing however about who drew it and why but it states that it dates from a 1956 ordnance survey map.

The two canal arms, The Jim Crow arm shown on the right and a part of the Houghton Chemical arm is shown on the left. I’m curious as to “The dross tip” shown on this plan, as I have never seen this before and wonder what they meant by “dross”. Certainly no doubt that tip was either buried or the stuff transferred to another local well known tip in Tividale- no prizes for guessing where.

As for the older trains that pulled the deadly cargo, the picture below in my copyright shows one of these Peckett engines.

scan0008

I am led to believe that this particular vehicle found its way to the Chasewater Railway located near Burntwood.

I have seen this many times but this attraction as it is now is bizarre in its antiquity and an anachronism in the climate zealots idea of future enterprise.

One wonders how all this abysmal stinking black fog became the norm all those years ago and what it did to people’s health, let alone what it transported which was even worse.

 

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The toxic Sandwell plan and legacy- OBJECT NOW!

 

 

And so another chapter begins in the endless cycle of corruption in allowing housing to be built on contaminated land and what little green space is left in this rotten borough. The name has changed, from The Black Country Core Strategy to “THE SANDWELL PLAN” thanks to Dudley Council’s treachery costing the other local borough thousands. 

The essential essence has not changed. Pack as many houses as you can into Labour voting areas which are poorer so that the affluent scum in the “green belt” can live in splendid isolation and keep voting for Mr Street and co. The greed and incompetence of the Labour administrations mean that they require a constant stream of gentrified tax payers to prop up the lazy benefit scrounging scum that keep voting them in. It is therefore a win win for all of them, and a no win for anyone who lives in Sandwell. It is a manifesto for developer land banking  and the destruction of wildlife habitats and green open space. For wildlife, it is the end. 😥

Before I start on this, it is vital that even idiots understand that this “plan” involving the principal land interests of this website is nothing new, but a rehash of something that has been going on for over 60 years when the rattlechain brickworks conman called Sydney Sheldon started to flog off land surrounding the Albright and Wilson owned chemical waste lagoon (rattlechain lagoon) for anything other than brickmaking.

Sheldon was a crooked conman, fake “brickworks” owner and part time “builder” who owned land interests in this area, around Union Road and lately so I have discovered further afield in Romsley. It appears that the opportunity for buying land and former marl holes for tipping purposes was something that similar scum like the Richardson Brothers made a fortune out of from the 1960’s onwards, and then there were later smaller tatter fry who we will get to in this post. Of course it is the politicians who always fete such characters.

Their plan has always been to shit on this area, live comfortable lives abroad and somehow believe they are entitled to do whatever they like through the increasingly bent planning process- fixed for them by corrupt political scum, both “professional” and amateur.

Every ten years some local authority document comes out regards land for future housing and planning use, but in recent times, these plans have greedily extended this time beyond this period, thus giving lying sheisters like those involved in the land ownership around the lagoon to claim that they can deliver said housing within this time period, (right at the end of the plan), and of course this never transpires and so they carry it over into the next hoping everyone has forgotten what went before. Well sorry to disappoint fellas, but I am your fucking nemesis and will spend whatever it takes and give as much of my time as I have to unravel you, it has become a personal quest from which I will not falter, and I will not fail.

So it was in 2011 that the then  “Sandwell Site Allocations and Delivery Development Plan Document” was part of set of planning documents intended to update the previous 2004 SMBC Unitary Development Plan.  According to Sandwell Council at that time, The “(SADDPD) will guide development within the Borough until 2021. It will do this by providing allocations and local policies. “

This saw RPS planning claim that the phantom and non existent “Denver Limited” , their client, registered in Jersey could deliver housing on both the former Duport’s Tip and then Rattlechain lagoon as well. FFS!

The council believed that 411 houses could be slotted into this area.

The idea that these two separate areas of land (the two tips), could be combined into one was something that the crooked Black Country Development Corporation concluded was a non starter back in 1990, with the cost of clean up then running into several millions. It has obviously now only inflated beyond any sustainable use.

That planning enquiry in 2012 revealed the consultants to be liars, (that this could be delivered within a time period of 8-9 years), and of course we are now some time out from that period where their joke “technical consultants”, who just happened to be the same that Mintworth used throughout the 1990’s when tipping and despoiling the land with black foundry sand. They misled the enquiry and they misled the planning inspector, it is that simple, so fuck off if you want to try and argue otherwise, you have no leg to stand on and you know it. The land remains as it did then- abandoned and “derelict” but now re-wilded “private open space”. 

When during a break in the proceedings at the 2012 inquiry they walked out, the guy from the Environment Agency present actually said “what a load of bollocks” in terms of the claims of Sladen Ass- ociates.

Evidence

The “misery” that Mintworth subjected local residents to in the 1990’s can be read HERE.

The tatting operation for metal after their abandonment of the land can be read HERE.

The former sewage works site, the profitable “quick” win for both Mintworth and Severn Trent Water was described as “a crap site for residential” by the principal former planning officer at Sandwell council, and yet this statement which I only found out later through planning records never made it to the inspectors attention at that enquiry, let alone the one where permission for homes was granted that would become Callaghan and Wilson Drives on the former sewage works. OH IT MOST CERTAINLY WILL AT THE NEXT ONE. 

The apparent subsequent sale of this land post the phantom “Denver” is a little murky, but not as murky as the planning history of this site. We now have a “Rattlechain Redevelopments Limited” based in Malvern claiming ownership of this site, with those environmental terrorists Severn Trent Water having a dodgy charge on the land to bank-role this shite into the 2020’s. Severn Trent largely operate through the bogus “Midlands Land Portfolio” banner, offloading land formerly in public ownership for more housing. Both of course will rely on the public purse to clear up the Mintworth  pile of mess they left behind , and why should WE have to pay for that, when STW have millions in the bank, and land bank said land hoping that they will never have to clean it up themselves?

I will look in more depth at this entity in a future post and what they have so far done on this site. It was all documented, it was all recorded, I’ve just been saving it for the right time. 😛

So it is the case that we now have this bollocks regurgitated again, only this time, they now appear to claim that 518 houses could be created on the two tips! Perhaps they believe that they can accommodate the extra capacity by floating a Bibby Stockholm barge on the lagoon itself, that after all would make it affordable though none the less absolute bollocks!

 

In terms of the adjacent landowners- Rhodia Solvay, in 2011 they made a belated statement only after I had drawn them out to conclude that their technical consultants did not believe the lagoon infill for housing to be technically feasible. It should be remembered that this site has not even been remediated fully either- and that the “remediation” that was carried out involved only hiding the waste and not treating it.

We then have them also attempt to build housing proposals on land embankments bordering the River Tame. They are not in this world these people! Do they want to infill the River as well and create a foundry sandwell?

 

Of Course, these have been objected to already by myself and The Friends of Sheepwash Nature Reserve, but it is important that as many people as possible know the score here and do the same. The area is built on unstable foundry sand, dumped by a known company and known individuals in charge of that company. The polluter has never paid and the taxpayer should not pay to decant foundry sand from one pile into a void to then leave it there for another 50 years, which is the obvious aim of the dickheads proposing this shite. The planners may be thick, but I am not.

“Regeneration Areas in Sandwell”

At 3.34 within the Sandwell plan, we get this…..

“3.34 The funding is intended to be the catalyst for wider investment opportunities within this regeneration corridor. Further employment development should be directed towards Coneygre and Vaughan Trading Estate. Whilst these sites were identified for residential development in the last Local Plan, this has not occurred. Both sites have instead delivered further employment development, indicating a need for further investment in this sector. Residential development is anticipated at Rattlechain, south of Sheepwash Nature Reserve. This would see the remediation of a long-standing problematic and heavily contaminated site, with it brought back into more efficient use and being able to assist in meeting the shortfall in housing numbers. The vision for the Dudley Port area is directed by a Garden City approach and principles, working with the area’s existing attributes, namely the green space, canals and linkages.”

How do an extra 518 plus 36 houses create a “garden city” approach? The concept is one created by thick twats in planning to assist developers with no links to Sandwell at all in the case of Rattlechain Redevelopments Limited, whose directors are in fact Irish Nationals and not even British FFS! 

The area is already swamped with housing, cannot possibly sustain this extra capacity and will destroy the only remaining green wild space up to the border of the Sheepwash Nature Reserve, In that case, it will no longer be a nature reserve, but a dog walking anti social behaviour magnet shithole.

As for the former Mintworth owned and abandoned and not remediated Coneygre site, it was RPS planning in tandem with Sladen Ass-ociates via not skintworth who proposed housing could be met on that site as well! Once again the public purse was drained with these jokers taking the residential proposals to a planning inquiry when SMBC refused permission. They even played for extra time and of course failed to ever do anything with the site, before selling it to “Coneygree Redevelopments Limited”- whose directors are the same as at Rattlechain Redevelopments Limited, and part of the wider “Corbally” group. They have been given a wedge by Andy Street’s mob at the combined authority – (our money) to now pursue business development. Name the site “CON- A -TREE” and it would be more apt.

That site within the last few weeks has started the destruction of trees in the area- so much for Mintworth’s legacy- as usual the abandonment cost is left to the public purse.

“Garden City” you say?

 

The identified polluters NEVER PAID!

GOWER TIP

Not content with flooding Lower Tividale with extra housing, some bright spark has also proposed more housing on the border of this Albright and Wilson/Rhoda contaminated land site that was never officially remediated.

The last disgracefully passed planning proposals at this site that I reported have yet to materialise.

A recent trip has shown that more trees have been cut down around the fake perimeter of the site, with a borehole located just feet away from housing in George Wood Avenue.

What a fucking joke!

I’m not sure how a fence and a wall stop pollution, though maybe the residents in the road named after the Oldbury brickmaker Wood will be able to play toxic volleyball with their new “neighbours” in Lower City Road over it. 😛

Object, I have already to this crap. 

Commenting and objecting.

As usual, SMBC make it difficult and off-putting for members of the public to comment on this rambling document officially known as, click on the link below

“Draft Regulation 18 Sandwell Local Plan”

There is a short timescale in which to make comments.

Ends on 18 December 2023

The best way is to create and register an account and comment using the speech bubble opportunities at the beginning of the paragraphs. In this way you should get an email back with the comments that you make, though it would be wise as I have to take screenshots of comments as you go for your own records.

The planners and the developers work side by side and are hoping that this will be the usual closed shop exercise of ticking off another stage. Please do not leave it to a few like myself to defend the little wildlife habitat that we have left. Housing is only the priority for avarice developers who are not from our area. The area has a history of cuckooing from outside agents , their legacy is one of pure greed and abandoned land banking. It’s time the polluter paid; lay your garden city eggs somewhere else!

 

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