§ 1. Mr. Boardmanasked the Minister of Power if he will give a general direction to the National Coal Board to transport colliery waste and slurry by such means as will not make road conditions dangerous, damage pedestrians' clothing and bespatter shop windows.
§ The Minister of Power (Mr. Richard Wood)No, Sir. The Board has told me that it does its best to prevent this traffic from causing inconvenience to the public. It is already an offence under the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations, 1955, so to carry a load that spilling it is likely to cause danger.
§ Mr. BoardmanIs the Minister aware that it is a very poor best on the part of the Coal Board? Is he aware that the local feeling is that the Board is all too complacent and that while the people of the mining town of Tyldesley must inevitably put up with slag heaps and subsidence they are not prepared to tolerate this avoidable nuisance? Cannot the right hon. Gentleman direct the Board either to use different vehicles or find some other means of transport?
§ Mr. WoodI am sorry to hear about the nuisance suffered by the hon. Member's constituents, but I am told that there was an investigation into this which showed clearly that it was not the Board's vehicles that were responsible. This explanation was accepted by the person who complained.
§ Mr. BoardmanWill the right hon. Gentleman inquire from the local 1104 authority, the chamber of trade, and anybody who lives on the main street there? I think that he is being rather misled.