Archived press release

CANAL PROJECT THREATENS ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION

7 October 1996

The £5.4 billion canal [2] and its associated developments would completely destroy two of the three largest estuaries in the UK - wiping out a third of the UK's population of Natterjack toads and destroying habitat for 260,000 wading birds and wildfowl. In all it will destroy or damage at least 20 of the country's most important wildlife sites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

It would also destroy parts of Hadrian's Wall which it will cut through in three places.

The leaked document reveals the scheme, intended to take cargo from West to East will be associated with other damaging developments:

* Barrages for Morecambe Bay and the Solway Firth [3] and a widened road round the Cumbrian coast

* Four reservoirs in the Tyne valley including one as 'vast' as Kielder at Haltwhistle - flooding many homes

* Links formed between Ullswater, Windermere and the canal to ensure water levels in the canal remain high

The scheme is backed by major industrial interests such as AMEC Civil Engineering Ltd,and is being taken seriously by Carlisle Council. The developers are presently investing £2 million in a feasibility study and promoting the scheme locally. Moreover, Secretary of State for Transport, Sir George Young, is reported to have described the proposed development as an "exciting project".

Tony Juniper, Deputy Campaigns Director, Friends of the Earth said:

"This is one of the most destructive proposals Friends of the Earth has encountered in 25

years of campaigning. If it wasn't for the big money interest, it would be discounted as a hoax. Unfortunately some people seem to be taking it seriously. Whilst the Suez and Panama canals make strategic sense, gouging a watery channel through the North of England does not. It would wipe out homes, farmland, jobs and irreplaceable wildlife. The entire ecology and character of the region would be transformed because of spurious claims that this will bring jobs and prosperity. It must be knocked on the head now."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] The leaked document is an outline of the project produced by the company involved, the Western Water Highway Association..

[2] The scheme will involve canalisation of the Tyne and a man-made canal through the hills near Greenhead to Carlisle. As it passes through the hills, the canal will require a cutting 80m deep. Water levels in the canal will be maintained by the creation of four major reservoirs in the Tyne valley and links to the Lake District and Kielder reservoir.

[3] Both are internationally important estuarine habitats listed to the European Commission as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under the European Habitats Directive.

[Index]

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust