§ 7. Mr. Douglas Houghtonasked the Minister of Food what quantity of cattle cake is stored on his behalf on the premises of Messrs. Hindle Brothers, Cornholme, Todmorden; how long it has been there; how long he expects it to remain; and what storage charge is being paid.
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeCattle cake has been stored on my behalf on these premises since September, 1951, and the present stock amounts to 1,800 tons. It should be cleared by the end of June. The storage charge paid is 5⅓d. per ton per week.
§ Mr. HoughtonCan the right hon. and gallant Gentleman give an assurance that these offensive conditions will quickly 1412 end? Has he seen the photographs taken at the time of my own inspection of these premises, and does not he agree that the conditions under which this cattle cake is stored and the offence to which it gives rise to neighbouring citizens is a matter for which his Ministry must take responsibility and bring to an end? Finally, can the right hon. Gentleman say by what authority a notice board appears on these premises which says:
Ministry property. Trespassers will be prosecuted"?
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeAs regards the last point, I should have to look into it. With regard to the photographs, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that they are extremely good ones of the site he mentions. The actual position is that all these sites were used because of congestion at the ports last September. As far as Lancashire is concerned, I think every single site has been cleared, and I hope that all these sites will soon be cleared also. I have given an undertaking, which I will repeat, that cattle cake will not again be stored anywhere near residential property.
§ Mr. Richard FortHow can my right hon. and gallant Friend reconcile what he has just said with the answer he gave me on 7th April, when he said that practically all the dumps in the area had been cleared away by the beginning of that month?
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeI was then referring only to Lancashire and the sites near Liverpool.
§ 8. Mr. Houghtonasked the Minister of Food whether he is aware of the stench and fly nuisance coming from cattle cake stored on his behalf, much of it until recently in the open, on the premises of Messrs. Hindle Brothers, Cornholme; whether he will remove offensive and rotting material from this residential neighbourhood without delay; and if he will give an estimate of how much of this cake is still fit for cattle consumption, and of the value of the quantity lost through being stored in the open.
§ Major Lloyd GeorgeRemoval of spilt material which may rot is the contractor's responsibility. I understand, however, that the site has now been cleaned and treated with insecticide and should give no further cause for complaint. Rather less than 1 per cent. of the cake 1413 now housed in a brick built store on the site may prove to be unfit for cattle consumption. Oil cake worth about £250 was lost in open storage.