§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what United Kingdom coastal areas have been used by his Ministry as arms dumps in addition to Beaufort's dyke. [9459]
842W
§ Mr. SoamesComplete records of past MOD sea-dumping operations are not available. However, from surviving records it has been established that, apart from Beaufort's dyke, the following approximate areas were designated as conventional explosive dumping grounds around the UK coast before 1973. Many of the sites listed may have been used for emergency purposes only, if at all.
Area Position Hurds Deep 49 30 00 N 3 34 00 W East of Orford Ness 52 07 00 N 1 55 00 E Inner Sound of Raasay 57 19 00 N 5 51 00 W Isle of May, Firth of Forth1 56 10 45 N 2 30 15 W Isle of May, Firth of Forth1 56 11 24 N 2 29 00 W St. Catherines Deep 50 35 00 N 1 12 00 W East Swin—Kings Channel 51 47 30 N 1 30 00 E North West of Alderney1 49 50 00 N 2 18 00 W North West of Alderney1 49 47 00 N 2 17 00 W South South West of Guernsey 49 18 00 N 2 42 00 W Whitesand Bay, Playmouth 50 18 45 N 4 16 00 W Milford Haven2 51 34 30 N 5 01 00 W Milford Haven2 51 38 00 N 5 20 00 W Milford Haven2 51 43 30 N 5 33 45 W Sound of Mull 56 30 00 N 5 37 00 W East of Aberdeen 57 09 00 N 1 58 30 W Loch Linnhe 56 30 00 N 5 37 00 W Firth of Clyde 55 37 00 N 4 59 30 W 1Two sites. 2Three sites. The adoption of the London and Olso Conventions in 1972 ended sea dumping of conventional munitions on the UK continental shelf. With one exception of an emergency dumping in 1976 at Beaufort's dyke, dumping was restricted from 1973 to an area some 400 miles south west of Land's End around the approximate co-ordinates of 48 20 00 N 13 40 00 W.
Records show that the dumping of chemical munitions ended in 1957. Dump sites were located in the northern Atlantic between 50 and 100 miles west of the Hebrides, 80 miles north-west of Northern Ireland, and 250 miles south-west of Land's End in the western approaches. A small quantity of chemical munitions was disposed of in Beaufort's dyke.