THE SCOTTISH Government is calling for a review of the dangers of a munitions dump off the west coast.
Keith Brown, Holyrood's Justice Secretary, is to write to the UK Government Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to raise concerns about Beaufort’s Dyke, and the lack of routine safety checks at the site.
AN SNP MSP has also claimed that if the munitions trench was off the south coast of England, rather than in Scotland, the UK Government would be unlikely to show such a "cavalier attitude" to its safety and inspections.
It comes after the Herald on Sunday revealed hundreds of potentially deadly chemical weapons have washed up on Scotland’s shores over the last 18 months, and there had been no regular safety inspections of the dyke in the Irish Sea.
READ MORE: MoD's Beaufort's Dyke leaving toxic cargo on Scotland's shores
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) insists that the trench is safe, and cites 25-year-old research showing no traces of chemicals have been found in the marine life around the Dyke or in the sediment surrounding it.
The MoD also previously said that many items which have washed up around Scotland’s beaches in the past 18 months – including Nazi mines, 1000lb bombs and grenades - ended up on shores 200 miles from the site and post-dated the cessation of dumping within it, therefore cannot have come from it.
According to a freedom of information request from the MoD obtained by The Herald on Sunday, at least 289 items were recorded by the department as having landed in Scotland and been destroyed between January 2020 and April 2021, on almost 60 occasions.
They washed up all over Scotland, including in Glasgow, Nairn, Orkney, Arran and Troon.
READ MORE: Radioactive secret of Beaufort's Dyke
The MoD confirmed the last time a survey was done on the site’s contents, saying previously: “In late 1995 and mid-1996, the Scottish Office’s Marine Laboratory carried out two detailed surveys of Beaufort’s Dyke to find out if the area has been polluted by the munitions which were dumped there.
“Samples of sediment and the edible flesh of fish and shellfish taken from the area were examined for a range of contaminants, but laboratory tests confirmed that none were present. Laboratory tests of the samples also revealed no trace of explosives.”
The two-mile long trench holds millions of tonnes of explosives and weapons from wartime, including bombs, chemical weapons, grenades, mortar shells and guns.
Mr Brown will now seek reassurances from the MoD that it has analysed all the current and future risks associated with the unexploded devices in Beaufort’s Dyke, after SNP MSP Emma Harper contacted him with concerns.
Ms Harper, MSP for Dumfries and Galloway said: “Unexploded ordnance is a reserved matter and responsibility for munitions dumped at sea within UK waters, including Beaufort’s Dyke, rests with the MoD.
"It is deeply irresponsible to leave what is a mountain of highly-dangerous explosives and chemical weapons off Scotland’s coast without carrying out regular safety inspections on the site.
“It’s indicative of the uncaring Tory attitude to Scotland. I doubt the same cavalier approach to safety would be taken if this was happening off England’s south coast.
"These destructive weapons not only pose a threat to people but to one of the busiest shipping lanes in the British Isles, the environment and precious wildlife.
“The many recent examples of what has been washing ashore is a stark reminder of the risk they present. It is simply unacceptable for the UK Government not to carry out routine safety checks."
The MSP added: "For the safety of the communities around Beaufort's Dyke, the MoD must provide the Scottish Government with every assurance that it will inspect this site regularly to analyse current and future risks associated with unexploded ordnance.”
An MoD spokeswoman said: “The MOD policy is consistent with the scientific findings that munitions on the seabed should remain undisturbed.
“Two detailed surveys by Marine Scotland have confirmed that no trace of contaminants from the dumped munitions can be found in fish and shellfish taken from the area, nor in sediment samples.
“The munitions in Beaufort’s Dyke pose no threat to shipping transiting the North Channel.”
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