“A beautiful valley…a deadly legacy”

Local Children are still protesting to Save Spodden Valley

The fight to stop exposed asbestos fibres in the woodland of Spodden Valley is growing ever more intense, as the public meeting in the Great Hall of Rochdale Town Hall on Wednesday 16 March proved.

Hundreds of protestors from in and around Rochdale arrived to show their support, including The Asbestos Victims Support Group, Greater Manchester Hazards Centre, Save Spodden Valley and The Rochdale Woodcraft Folk. Amongst the fancy dress outfits and posters, there were a mass of ‘forget me not’ ribbons being given out from the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre, to remember the people that have died due to asbestos exposure.

Geoff Tweedale, a historian from Manchester Metropolitan University, demonstrated the severeness of exposed asbestos, and the affects it can have when disturbed. He said: “Asbestos is a mineral, a fibrous rock, which breaks down into soft silky fibres. It is virtually indestructible. Asbestos fibres have been proven to cause related illnesses such as Lung Fibrosis, Lung Cancer, and more frequently Mesothelioma (Cancer of the lung or gut lining caused by asbestos). What’s worse, in the next 30 years, 5-10,000 people will die from asbestos exposure each year.”

Cllr William Hobhouse responded: “If there is blue, white and brown asbestos, what exactly is the difference in the danger of developing Mesothelioma?”

Geoff replied: “Rochdale holds mostly white asbestos, which is known to be the least dangerous, and blue asbestos being the most. The point is, all asbestos can cause illness, and all asbestos can cause death. Why someone would want to build on an asbestos site is beyond me.”

A percentage of the audience have had personal experiences with the asbestos fibres in Rochdale. A local spokesperson said: “My wife died in January of an asbestos related illness. As a teenager, she worked as a Wages Clerk at the Turners site. I remember her telling me that there were times she would walk into a room, and she could not see from one end to the other because of the dust. I lost my wife. Isn’t it about time the issue was taken seriously?”

Cllr. Colin Lambert said: “It worries me very much that there is no safe limits to asbestos exposure. So if it was cleaned up, some of it would still get into the air. It worries me also that it needs to be transported. What we really need to do is widen this campaign and raise more awareness to other communities about the danger that we’re up against.”

The facts became more shocking with a solicitor from Rochdale with experience in asbestos investigations. Jeremy Smith said: “I have fought for people with asbestos claims, and what we found in investigations was disgusting. People had deliberately hid the evidence of buried asbestos even though they knew of the fatal risks. I’m very happy that there are so many people here tonight, it’s important that people find out the truth.”

Jason Addy from Save Spodden Valley emphasised the “truth” of the matter; “We have been all round the country, and if anyone outside of Rochdale hears about the plans to build a 650-house estate on an asbestos ridden sight, they are truly shocked. They just can not believe it. The sad truth is Spodden Valley is a beautiful valley with a deadly, deadly legacy.”