THE parents of a four-year-old boy who was injured when he picked up a phosphorous flare washed up on a beach near Campbeltown are claiming compensation from the Ministry of Defence and British Gas, it was confirmed yesterday.
The child, Gordon Baillie, from Bellochantuy, was treated for burns on three fingers and his right arm after touching a flare on the beach at his uncle's home near Dun Aluin in October.
The device started smoking and leaked on to the boy's clothes when he picked it up. The clothes were destroyed by bomb disposal experts who feared they could ignite.
More than 4000 explosive devices were washed up on shores around south-west Scotland at the time of the incident. It is claimed they could have been disturbed from the munitions dump at Beaufort's Dyke by gas pipeline laying.
The boy's mother, Mrs Margaret Baillie, said she wanted compensation for the cost of her son's damaged clothes, his injury, and the psychological impact on the boy.
The family's lawyer, Mr John Campbell, said a claim had been put in on behalf of Mrs Baillie and her husband, Gordon.
Mrs Baillie said the amount of compensation at stake was not an issue and had not been discussed.
She said: ``It's for him and not for us. At the end of the day, I've got to do what I think is right for him. Later on in life, he might turn round and ask us why we didn't do anything about it, so it's up to me to do something.''
She added that it was up to the MoD, which was responsible for post-war munitions' dumping, and British Gas, who carried out the pipe-laying work, to respond quickly to their claims.
Gordon Jr, who returned for hospital treatment several times, is now said to be almost over the accident. For some time after the incident, he wet his bed and slept in his parents' bedroom. His sleeping patterns have returned to normal and the burns are hardly visible.
An MoD spokesman said: ``Any injury caused by beached munitions would be treated on a case-by-case basis. We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously but liability for an injury would only be accepted where it could be shown we had failed to meet our duty of care.'' British Gas did not comment.
Meanwhile, fears are mounting over the safety of a munitions dump in Loch Linnhe, which runs from Fort William to Mull.
Over the years, fishermen have trawled up Second World War mortar bombs, phosphorous flares, and ammunition from the dump, which lies 100 fathoms below the surface.
The latest find happened last Thursday, when Oban fisherman Mark MacPhee netted a box of bullets while out fishing in the area around the dump.
The MoD said there were no exact records of dumping grounds. A spokesman said: ``If munitions are washed up, or if fishermen retrieve them or bring them ashore, it's a matter for the local police and the local council.''
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