IT was stated on Radio 4's Face the Facts programme that neither the Department of Health, nor Dr S Morton, of the East Lancs Health Authority, has ever given the burning of Cemfuel at Castle Cement in Clitheroe a "clean bill of health".

Dr Morton also repeated this statement at the recent meeting of Ribble Valley Council's environment committee. Andrew Bennett MP, chairman of the Commons Environment Committee, MPs Nigel Evans and Gordon Prentice and Dr Morton all expressed doubts about the safety of burning waste in cement kilns. Not enough research has been done particularly with regard to human health. David Morris, for Ribble Valley Council, pointed out that the last series of emission tests demonstrated that a mixture of Cemfuel and coal produced worse emissions than when burning coal alone, particularly of dangerous heavy metals like chromium, nickel and lead.

Have the two statements by Castle Cement's Peter Del Strother, that Cemfuel is as clean as coal and that it has been given a clean bill of health, both been proved to be untrue at long last?

(RESIDENTS AGAINST TOXIC SUBSTANCES) M Hargreaves, Ribble Avenue, Grindleton.

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