Pressure on grants
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THE GOVERNMENT has been criticised for refusing to make funds available for a railway siding at the Nypro chemicals plant at Flixborough, South Humberside.
Now, pressure is being put on the Department of Transport to reverse the decision which means that lorries will carry 60,000 tons of highly toxic phenol to the plant, where 29 died in a massive explosion four years ago.
ICI, Shell and Nypro applied jointly for a Section 8 E800,000 grant towards building a siding at the Elixborough plant which reopens later this year.
This was turned down on the grounds of insufficient proof that "local needs" would justify the outlay. Instead of two trainloads of phenol — it is said to cause serious skin burns — going to Nypro each week, some 60 road deliveries will be needed.
An ICI spokesman told CM this week: "Naturally, we are disappointed by the decision."
MPs John Ellis, Robin Cook. and Peter Snape, encouraged by concern about the recent Spanish and Mexican tanker disasters, have tabled Commons questions about the carriage of dangerous chemicals by road in this instance and elsewhere in the country.
Mr Cook said: "Environmental concern is not only local, I think there is a very powerful case The ICI goods will travel from its premises at Seal Sands, on Teesside, the Shell chemicals from Stanlow, Merseyside.
Meanwhile, the DTp has given a £96,840 grant towards the construction of an emergency access road to the Seal Sands site.