MP says paper mill secrecy raised alarm

An MP has condemned the secrecy about a report into contamination at the former Fletcher’s paper mill site in Greenfield for causing unnecessary alarm to local residents.

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas put in a Freedom of Information request to Oldham Council, after specialist contractors investigated the site in 2007, to find out what contamination there was.

But although he was given parts of the report carried out by experts Wardell Armstrong, other parts were blacked out on the advice of the Environment Agency.

Now, he has been told the missing sections related to three X-ray machines which were used at the reel ends of paper making machines to test for quality.

And since they were all removed and disposed of in October, he has been allowed to see the secret parts of the report.

Mr Woolas said: “Attempts by Oldham Council to keep this information secret has only made local residents more suspicious and alarmed than was necessary.

“It has taken nearly three years of campaigning to discover what contaminants remained on site. It now turns out that for some reason, Oldham Council wanted to keep secret the fact that there were X-ray machines on site.

“I cannot see why why Oldham Council refused to release this information to local residents as soon as they became aware of the contents of the report.

“There was clearly no risk to the general public.”

Former councillor Hugh McDonald, who worked at the Fletcher’s site as a shift manager, said the X-ray machines were known about by the workforce, and added: “They were no secret. They had the yellow X-ray markings on them quite clearly.”

Greenfield and Grasscroft Residents’ Association secretary Mike Rooke said: “While we are convinced this aspect of the site has been ‘put to bed’ we are not convinced the rest of the site is wholly safe.

“We have written to the Environment Agency requesting the February, 2006, original brief for the site visit, and want to know the terms of reference.”

Councillor John McCann said: “Information about low-level radioactive sources used in industry cannot be legally disclosed so as to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

“The council’s decision was also supported by other groups including Greater Manchester Police.

“When the council became aware of the change of circumstances in that the substances had been removed from site, advice was taken and the decision made that as there was no longer a risk of the items falling into the wrong hands, the information could be released.”