Aggregate Industries has a history of failing to control dust. This is apparent not only at its Bardon Hill quarry in Leicestershire, but also at its Westleigh quarry in Devon – as we have previously posted.
But it turns out another Aggregate Industries quarry in Devon – Moorcroft Quarry in Plymstock near Plymouth – is "causing health worries amongst its neighbours", reports PlymouthLive:
Plymouth residents are 'fed up' with the seemingly endless dust, noise and fumes which they say comes from a nearby working quarry. https://t.co/bv3Pf2aBDJ
— Plymouth Live (@Plymouth_Live) April 3, 2021
Councillor Nigel Churchill, who represents the ward where the residents and quarry is situated, said he has had calls about Moorcroft quarry "all year round".
How can this be? Aggregate Industries claims it’s a responsible company:
We care about the environment and communities around our sites...
Has Aggregate Industries given up caring "all year round"? Or was that claim never meant to be taken seriously, no more seriously than this claim:
As a forerunner in its commitment to the sustainability plight, Aggregate Industries continues to apply an increasingly eco-friendly approach to all business areas
One resident said:
Over the last three or four years the dust and noise has got worse, not to mention the fumes. I've spoken to the manager there I don't know how many times.
Another:
… as for the dust - it's hardly worth cleaning the car or the windows because as soon as you do, 12 hours later there's a thick layer on them…. There's definitely been an increase in the amount of noise and dust in recent years.
Yet another:
I've been complaining for ages about the smell and noise. They say the dust levels are within the limits but when you look at your car windows each day, covered in it, your letter box has got a thick layer, your outdoor table is thick with it - you wonder what is happening to your lungs.
They say they have water bowsers to damp down the large heaps of dust but I question as to whether they are using them. I've got neighbours around me who have complained about suffering from the dust, some of them have asthma. There's others who have contracted lung cancer who have never smoked. I can't say it's related - but I want to know what it is we're breathing in every day and what can it do to us? That's the biggest thing, more than anything - what is it doing to our health?
A spokesperson at Aggregate Industries is quoted as saying:
We are currently looking into some recent complaints in relation to our Moorcroft Quarry. As a responsible supplier within the area, we take all complaints very seriously and have therefore launched an investigation into this. We will look to deploy mitigation measures if necessary, to ensure we can reduce any future disruptions to the local community.
In 2007, Plymouth City Council reckoned Moorcroft "has about 50 years of permitted reserves".
In the same year, Aggregate Industries crowed:
No other quarry of our 87 across the UK needs to have active and effective community engagement more than Moorcroft.
"In our situation we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t listen to our neighbours. Community engagement is a long process of talking, listening and presenting a known face. Even if it’s bad news, we tell them because, if we don’t, they’ll just make up their own stories."
So how’s that going, Aggregate Industries? Are local residents just making up their own stories?
