HC Deb 05 December 1988 vol 143 cc29-30W
Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in theOfficial Report the volume of sewage sludge deposited in each sea dump around the United Kingdom coast over each of the last five years.

Mr. Donald Thompson

The information requested is as follows:

'000 wet tonnes
Location 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Off the Tyne 364.4 480.5 456.8 498.9 485.0
Off the Tees 8.1 2.0 7.5 1.3 1.6
Spurn Head 91.2 78.3 89.0 114.9 95.1
Roughs Tower 138.3 85.4 127.1 112.2 132.4
Barrow Deep 4,150.0 4,200.0 4,240.4 4,543.3 3,637.6
South Falls 98.3 105.0 88.4 50.2 134.1
Nab Tower 202.2 231.8 291.8 288.6 243.0
Lyme Bay 47.7 44.0 49.5 45.4 48.3
Off Falmouth 63.7 (use of dumpsite discontinued)
Off Plymouth 83.0 103.0 85.0 76.9 81.6
Bristol Channel 230.2 305.2 262.5 257.4 237.9
Liverpool Bay 1,299.2 1,282.9 1,499.0 1,541.4 1,626.0
Firth of Forth 219.9 230.2 209.6 172.9 248.5
Location 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Firth of Clyde 1,574.5 1,714.2 1,686.8 1,698.7 1,689.6
Off Belfast 289.8 299.1 314.4 275.9 309.5
Off Coleraine 10.5 11.0 11.6 9.5 —

Mr. Gareth Wardell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department has considered ways and means of assisting the further reduction of the heavy metals load in sewage sludge.

Mr. Donald Thompson

In recent years substantial reductions have been achieved in heavy metal concentrations, which are well within the trace limits permitted by the international dumping conventions. The levels of heavy metals in sewage sludge for sea disposal have been strictly controlled by the provisions of the Dumping at Sea Act 1974 and its successor legislation, part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985. The Government are seeking further reductions in metal concentrations; water authorities are required to draw up action plans incorporating reviews of authorisations that they have granted for discharge to sewers of industrial effluent containing heavy mentals.

The Government also intends to improve the control of sewage sludge spread on agricultural land by introducing statutory regulations next year backed up by a code of practice, both designed to provide an appropriate level of environmental protection.