MP's anger at delay to radioactive clean-up at Dalgety Bay beach

A Fife MP has demanded an urgent meeting with the Ministry of Defence after it was revealed last week that it had failed to apply for a licence to undertake radioactive clean-up work at Dalgety Bay beach.
Neale Hanvey has expressed his anger that the MoD has delayed cleaning up the radioactive pollution at Dalgety Bay.Neale Hanvey has expressed his anger that the MoD has delayed cleaning up the radioactive pollution at Dalgety Bay.
Neale Hanvey has expressed his anger that the MoD has delayed cleaning up the radioactive pollution at Dalgety Bay.

The MoD-commissioned work to remove the radioactive pollution was originally scheduled to start this summer, but delays have led to it being pushed back.

At an area committee meeting last week, SEPA revealed that no application or paperwork had been received from the MoD to allow work to begin.

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Now Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP Neale Hanvey has written to Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence to to express his “extreme frustration and anger” on behalf of his constituents.

The MoD had told the MP in March that work would start 'imminently' and continue until the end of September 2020.

Mr Hanvey wrote to the Ministry again in August when it became clear nothing had happened. The Ministry failed to address his request for an updated timeline for the delayed project and did not give an explanation for the delay.

Mr Hanvey said: “When it became clear that work on the site had not commenced in the summer as planned, I wrote to the MoD requesting an update. I then received a vague response from the Minister for Defence Procurement which failed to identify why the project had been delayed or provide an updated timeline.

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“Now my constituents and I must learn second hand that the MoD had not even bothered to apply for the necessary licence to begin the work in the first place."

Mr Hanvey claims that local politicians and the community have been misled by the MoD's commitment to their own clean-up project.

He added: “It is completely unacceptable that my constituents and local elected representatives have once again been left in the dark about a project that has clearly been sidelined by the MoD.

“The people of Dalgety Bay have been repeatedly disrespected by the MoD through their failure to prioritise this work, and I will not allow it to go on any longer.

“That is why I have written to the Secretary of State demanding an urgent meeting to discuss this matter and ensure the project is back on track as quickly as possible.”