§ Sir A. HOLBROOKasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the very serious state of affairs existing in the parish of Sherfield owing to the burning of large quantities of T.N.T. at the extreme end of the Bramley camp, thus causing a huge volume of black smoke to be blown across the parish, and to the heavy explosions in the camp which are causing considerable damage to houses and cottages; and whether any steps can be taken to remedy matters?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERTwo complaints have been received regarding the inconvenience caused by the burning of T.N.T. at Bramley. The T.N.T. in question is extracted from shells, of which an enormous quantity were surplus after the War. The alternative to burning the T.N.T. is to dump the shells at sea, which would involve a very heavy expenditure for transport, as well as the loss of the value of the steel in the shells. This burning down of T.N.T. at Bramley 1953W represents only a small portion of the burning down which has had to be carried out in various places in England and throughout Northern France. The burning is carried out under expert supervision, and I will again have the matter looked into by the Technical Gas Committee of the Disposal and Liquidation Commission which supervises all these operations.