READERS may have seen reports that the Chatburn air monitor has shown nothing untoward.

In fact, I seem to recall the air quality described as 'excellent'" by Ribble Valley's spokesman.

It will be interesting to see what the monitor recorded for the week February 2-6, when the wind was in the west for the whole of the week and the Castle Cement chimney plumes were grounding in Chatburn itself for much of the time.

On Thursday, February 5, for example, the plumes were heading straight for Chatburn school and the bridge over the bypass, making it very hard to stand on the bridge for more than a few minutes.

If the streets prove to be blank for this period, it may be that the location of the monitor near the bottom of the school playing fields may have something to do with this, in which case I would like to suggest that it be relocated in a more inappropriate spot as a matter of urgency, one where it might perhaps be subjected to more ambient conditions than at present. Failing this, a second monitor on or above the bridge would enable Ribble Valley's watchdogs to obtain a more factual picture of what is going on.

Of course, it may be that, like the Agency's hospital monitors and many of the 1996 Air Monitoring Survey's monitors, this one, too, was 'being calibrated' or 'out of action' at critical times.

It is also worth pointing out that the new cone on the 'Cemfuel' chimney has now been in place for a month or so, long enough to see that it has made no improvement to the plume-grounding whatsoever.

Indeed, the removal of the cone to the other chimney has actually helped to make the situation worse!

I recall Earl Ferrers saying something along the lines of "depending on the success of the (Cemfuel) cone, the authorisation may even be rescinded." So what are we waiting for?

J D MORTIMER, Green Drive, Clitheroe.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.