{"id":4123,"date":"2024-08-17T17:32:18","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T17:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/?p=4123"},"modified":"2024-08-17T17:32:18","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T17:32:18","slug":"theres-something-very-fishy-about-the-walsall-chemical-spillage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saveoursandwellcanadageese.org.uk\/?p=4123","title":{"rendered":"There’s something VERY fishy about The Walsall “chemical spillage”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This blog originally appeared on our sister blog What lies beneath Rattlechain lagoon.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier this week there was an announcement that read like an apocalypse had befallen The Walsall Canal with a \u201cchemical spillage\u201d considered so dangerous that 12 miles of surrounding connecting canal towpaths were closed and boat traffic shut off, effectively stranding anyone on a narrow boat from moving up or down three sets of locks.<\/p>\n

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As someone who is obviously acutely aware of the damage that chemicals can do in the environment and how these incidents destroy wildlife, I was very concerned about what had happened and feared the worst due to the measures being taken that the authorities were considered necessary. Other people were contacting me about the situation and were concerned about the effects on bird life on the canal system in the area.<\/p>\n

What transpired was very poor information being released, particularly about\u00a0WHAT<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0chemical had been released into the canal, the circumstances and the\u00a0QUANTITY <\/span><\/strong>and\u00a0SOURCE,\u00a0and the\u00a0PATHWAY<\/span><\/strong>it had taken to reach the water.<\/p>\n

It was all a bit vague but it appeared that multiple agencies were involved including Walsall Council, the CRT and EA as well as The bizarre UKHSA- formerly Public Health England. For some reason, they were very keen that people did not touch the water, eat any fish from the canal or walk along the towpaths.<\/p>\n

Eventually it was claimed that\u00a0Sodium Cyanide<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0had entered the canal, but no source or company named. This chemical obviously rings alarm bells with the public as a deadly poison, although it is actually less poisonous than\u00a0white phosphorus<\/a>\u00a0found in Rattlechain lagoon, and which of course was spilt liberally into the canal system on route from Trinity Street to Rattlechain\u00a0via the upper BCN toxic trail route<\/a>. Were the canals closed then, and the boats stopped?\u00a0NO THEY WERE NOT AS BRITISH WATERWAYS AS THEY THEN WERE WERE TOTALLY COMPLICIT IN CAUSING THE POLLUTION AND ENCOURAGING IT, EVEN\u00a0USING ALBRIGHT AND WILSON\u2019S VILE SHIT HOLE THEMSELVES AS A MEANS OF DUMPING THEIR OWN DREDGINGS<\/a>\u00a0TO CONTINUE THE GHASTLY BOAT TRAIL POLLUTING SPECTACLE.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As for protecting public health, what a fucking joke when people involved in carrying the toxic waste by canal boat\u00a0were harmed in the process<\/a>, so what hope for any other bugger that touched or came into contact with the water, let alone any wildlife or fish?<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2024 and the Canal and Rivers Trust are now a charity and corporate PR brand. They are largely funded by fishing licences or fishing rights being sold and of course boat licences. The latter regularly cause widespread damage to wildlife with their toxic snail diesel and hydraulic oil releases-\u00a0particularly in the Walsall area.\u00a0<\/strong>Even recently this occurred and many birds died and yet no boats were stopped from moving by the CRT on some bloody \u201cexplorer cruise\u201d- basically a jolly for elder people along a stretch of canal ending with a fish and chip supper at some pub. The hypocrisy could not be more stark, given that this particular incident did not effect any fish in the canal,\u00a0just wildfowl.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EA are of course a longstanding joke also, as I regularly evidence in my unfortunate dealings in reporting issues to these hapless, unknowledgeable and talentless individuals. They were and are happy with a bunch of wankers dumping toxic waste under water under a useless licence auspice, even pumping it back into the canal\u00a0blissfully unaware that they were doing so given they have no means of testing the water for the toxic chemical<\/a>, but when some fish deaths occur it is suddenly a red alert for them.<\/p>\n

Enter the bullshit classification system they use, which I looked at\u00a0HERE<\/a>. Of course when fish die they claim a\u00a0\u201ccategory 1\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0incident. For other areas that have no fish and no fish deaths they don\u2019t care- hence Rattlechain and also Smethwick Hall Park caused by Severn Trent Water\u2019s sewage pollution and failure to trace and stop misconnections entering the water. The hypocrisy and interest over the money making source for the EA and CRT could not be more stark.\u00a0Fish matter because they are keeping these individuals in jobs, birds are not, and that is the bottom line.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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SODIUM CYANIDE- AN INFAMOUS POISON FROM THE PAST.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I have\u00a0previously looked at this chemical and how \u201cdeadly barrels\u201d of it were dumped in the early 1970\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0leading to the authorities starting to take environmental dumping more seriously. The West Midlands served as a particular hotspot with National news running a series of scares about what had in reality been occurring for too long. Marl holes and tips and brooks were easy dumping grounds for \u201cpeople of the road\u201d paid by scum companies to deposit their waste with no questions asked. Tatters with tippers were a common menace.<\/p>\n

Both Rattlechain and Gower Tips had\u00a0dumpings,<\/a>\u00a0with Albright and Wilson feigning ignorance which I frankly do not believe.<\/p>\n

The following information is given by The\u00a0UKHSA.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sodium\/Potassium Cyanide General information.<\/a><\/p>\n

Sodium\/Potassium Cyanide Incident management<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The properties of cyanide mean that it produces highly toxic breakdown chemicals when in contact with water.<\/p>\n

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NaCN + H2<\/sub>O \u21c4 NaOH + HCN<\/h2>\n

Sodium hydroxide<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Hydrogen cyanide<\/strong>\u00a0are produced, the later being a highly toxic and flammable gas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Anochrome Limited- who are they?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Eventually and after an uncomfortable lack of information on the source, an electro plating company based a scant 100 metres from the canal were named. This industrial concern based in Reservoir Place, Walsall claims to have been operating on its website since 1946. It has three current directors, at least two of whom appear to be successors of a family line. Managing Director\u00a0Mark Jones<\/strong>\u00a0appears to have taken over from his father Andrew. Secretary\u00a0Andrew Keery<\/strong>, and\u00a0Robert Gray<\/strong>\u00a0complete the triumvirate.<\/p>\n

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They have a number of subsidiary companies, including\u00a0Wolverhampton Electro plating Limited<\/strong>\u00a0based in Wolverhampton. It is of note that all three directors are now giving a care of address for this company rather than the one in Walsall. I take some interesting observations from this concerning the state of their finances and the future of \u201cAnochrome limited\u201d as an operation.<\/p>\n

Historically, this company have form for polluting the environment via criminal negligence.<\/p>\n

The\u00a012th December 1978 \u00a0Wolverhampton Express and Star<\/strong>\u00a0reported how they had been fined a rather paltry \u00a3245 for cyanide and toxic metals going down the drains<\/p>\n

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In\u00a01981,<\/strong>\u00a0and via\u00a0The Sandwell Evening Mail<\/strong>\u00a0 of\u00a027th June\u00a0<\/strong>, we see a repeat performance of this , on this occasion a whopping \u00a3280 for illegal trade effluent discharges including zinc. This particular metal is of concern as it is a neurological poison to wild birds and people and is very similar to\u00a0lead poisoning<\/a>\u00a0in high levels in this regard.<\/p>\n

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In\u00a01992<\/strong>\u00a0there was a fire sparking another chemical alert with two staff needing treatment.<\/p>\n

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Sandwell Evening Mail 23\/5\/92<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A more recent event reveals this company were fined by The HSE for breaches under The Health and Safety At Work Act. This was in\u00a02018.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Of course, the three directors are ultimately responsible for all that goes on here, all that goes wrong on their site and anything that occurs illegally or by \u201caccident\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their parent company in Wolverhampton also has form for\u00a0health and safety breaches.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

I am not certain if they are the electroplating company mentioned in\u00a0THIS article<\/a>\u00a0concerning cyanide dumping, but it confirms the absolute lack of integrity of this industry at large in terms of failing to protect the environment and adhere to laws. Ultimately, they argue about quantities within \u201clegal\u201d limits. THE LIMITS OF COURSE SHOULD BE ZERO.<\/p>\n

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MY DIRECT OBSERVATIONS AND HEAD SCRATCHING ABOUT\u00a0<\/strong>THIS INCIDENT BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE ISSUES.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are some questions and issues which do not make sense to me about this incident which almost made me question as to if it is a hoax and a multi agency training exercise, just to keep the public under fear about something which is not really there.<\/p>\n

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