Lafarge faked test results spark action

9.46.00pm GMT Fri 21st Jan 2005

News of 'rogue staff' faking test results at Lafarge Cement's Westbury plant has alarmed the Chair of West Wiltshire District Council's external scrutiny committee, Cllr Duncan Hames.

"Action must be taken to restore public trust in environmental regulation at the cement works." says Cllr Duncan Hames.

"There has clearly been a failure of management and quality control at the plant. This incident undermines any confidence we could have had in Lafarge's ability to report accurately to the public on environmental standards. Their customers have been misled, how can we know that we haven't been too?" asks Westbury Lib Dem spokesman, Cllr Duncan Hames.

Cllr Hames has written to Lafarge, the Environment Agency and the District Council environment and planning officers seeking answers on what has been happening at the plant and whether environmental reporting has also been exposed to corruption by the company's 'rogue staff'.

"In West Wiltshire, we are well aware of the Environment Agency's dependence on Lafarge's reporting to regulate their operations and conserve local air quality. I have asked the council's environment portfolio holder for a public meeting for councillors to question Lafarge about their reporting and this incident to investigate how we can possibly rely on the environmental data they produce. I have given him a number of options for forums within the council at which to do this, but urged him to find a way forward urgently." Says Cllr Hames

Cllr Hames is also concerned about reports that appeared in the trade press that the problem with the cement produced at the plant began when it started using chalk form a new quarry. Lafarge recently applied to extend the Westbury quarry but did not make a retrospective application and should not have been using an extension of the quarry at this time.

"I have asked the council's planning and environment officers to investigate this report with the company, and ensure that permissions for the quarry have been complied with." Added Cllr Hames.