MORE than a year's work has gone into investigations into plans to quarry 30million tonnes of limestone from a Clitheroe beauty spot.

Reports have been done, public meetings held and councils consulted - so that, apparently, all aspects of the controversial proposal by Castle Cement to extract rock for 40 years from Belman Quarry had been examined when Lancashire County Council came at last to give the crucial, final verdict on the plan.

Yet, just one hour before this decision was to be taken by councillors, along comes the Environment Agency with a query about what effect quarrying would have on groundwater levels. As a result the decision had to be deferred.

It is, of course, right for the agency to be involved in a scheme that has such vast potential impact not just on the environment, but on the firm's commercial prospects, residents' lives and people's jobs.

But where the heck has it been all this time?

With its head stuck in the sand?

It is not as if this giant scheme cropped up only yesterday.

It has been a matter of public debate and concern for more than 12 months.

Evidently, the Environment Agency's pace or alertness are not of the real world, but it is time they were, is it not?

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