A huge banner was hung today from the pedestrian footbridge at MediaCityUK by Salford activists fighting potential fracking at Barton Moss, Davyhulme and around the UK. The banner read `884,000 Gallons of Radioactive Fracking Water Dumped Here' a reference to radioactive waste water from Cuadrilla's trial fracking well in Fylde which found its way into the Manchester Ship Canal.
A statement from Reclaim The Power, which organised today's protest, explained that "the company pumped 2.7 million gallons of clean water into its only full scale fracking well in the country. Initially the company had been sending the radioactive water to a treatment plant in Daveyhulme, but it was unable to cope with the volume, toxicity and levels of radiation."
The radioactive water dumping was exposed by a special BBC Inside Out programme earlier this year which also showed evidence in the waste water of levels of radium ninety times higher than naturally occurs in drinking water.
"The Environment Agency allowed United Utilities to dilute the water and put it into our Canal" said local campaigner Louise Carr, explaining the banner "884,000 gallons of radioactive and toxic water from just one fracking operation, which was cut short because the company caused two earthquakes in the space of six weeks".
Today's protest by Reclaim The Power was part of a national day of action against fracking which also saw Cuadrilla's office in Blackpool occupied and the headquarters of IGas, which is aiming to frack in Salford, blockaded this morning.
See also previous Salford Star articles...
The Fracking Information War click here
Ecocide Lawyers Visit Barton Moss - click here