Reform MP Rupert Lowe has reacted angrily to hearing that 300 tonnes of fertiliser has been dropped into the sea just off the coast of Great Yarmouth.
The Telegraph report that the MV Ruby vessel was packed with 20,000 tons of fertiliser.
Rupert Lowe has posted to X:
I have been uncovering this scandal for weeks.
In short, there were proposals seriously considered to evacuate Great Yarmouth, my constituency, due to the risk of an explosion caused by ammonium nitrate 'potentially' contaminated with fuel.
As the local MP, I was NOT informed. Plans were drawn up to evacuate 30,000 people. I had NO idea. There were clear orders in place NOT to tell the MP. Local authorities knew. I, as Great Yarmouth's MP, did NOT.
This was a MASSIVE overreaction. The Health and Safety Executive REFUSED to attend in person to inspect the load in question. I have it on very good authority that there was nothing wrong with it, and it could have been put ashore, reprocessed and used by local farmers.
What happened instead? They made a 'remote' inspection. It's not good enough. It is now described as “potentially contaminated” in official communications. It was NOT properly inspected.
Just off the coast of Great Yarmouth, the fertiliser was dumped in its polypropylene double-skinned bags, which was an act of environmental terrorism - almost 300 tonnes of it.
Those bags will float and wrap themselves around propellers. That’s quite apart from the untold damage plastic does to the environment, local marine life and importantly fish.
An act of environmental terrorism, which nobody will take responsibility for. I want names - who did this? Who signed it off? Where was the evidence behind it?
As a farmer, if I dumped one such bag in a river, I would be prosecuted to kingdom come.
I have spent weeks investigating this. Meeting the minister responsible, local authorities and all of these various quangos. NOBODY will take responsibility, I want answers.
How close was Great Yarmouth to being evacuated? Why was the MP not informed? I believe I was lied to by the Department for Transport.
Who signed off on the dumping and enabled this ecological crime?
I have a debate in Parliament tomorrow on this scandal - I will be posing many, many more questions.
I am demanding a full and independent inquiry into this mess.
I will NOT let this go until I have answers.
https://twitter.com/RupertLowe10/status/1869415540512743442
