What Lies Beneath Rattlechain Lagoon?

Let’s open door 9

BANG!!!

Not the kind of explosion that you would want to be anywhere near, but this detonation of AW bombs took place in 1983. We certainly believe that it was not the first!

We have asked several questions about why these WW2 Albright and Wilson artefacts were detonated at this site, or more likely buried there after their production in 1942 has ceased. Unfortunately this was a rather bad idea on the part of both the company and the bomb disposal unit. Not all the white phosphorus contained in such detonations would be spent, more likely just propelled under water to later poison some passing ducks. The human health consequences and wind direction also appear to be unsatisfactory. IT MADE A GOOD STORY THOUGH.

Let’s open door 8

Following the end of canal haulage of waste by 1974, the rattlechain site has been accessed by one road for many years. John’s Lane has a changing history with the site, and there have been site modifications, which now leave some of Albright and Wilson’s contaminated land outside of the current Rattlechain lagoon boundaries.

Let’s open door 7

The spectre of unlimited dumping

New legislation in the 1970’s began to limit the types of waste that Albright and Wilson and other polluting chemical companies could dispose of into the environment. Unfortunately this new regulation did very little to change the situation at Rattlechain, with large quantities of toxic material, including white phosphorus contaminated wastes allowed to still be dumped.

A waste management licence- ( licence SL31  )was granted by West Midlands County Council in 1978. This allowed

• Effluent treatment sludge : 140 tonnes per day
• Waste contaminated with white phosphorus : 500 tonnes per year
• Water contaminated with white phosphorus, sulphur and phosphoric acid : 1000 gallons per year
• “solid wastes” : 10 tonnes per week

This licence was later to be renumbered WML 40803. The genesis of this remains in force at the site, but has only been modified in respect of no further wastes can be added to the site.

In reality the licence was not worth the paper that it was printed on with subsequent regulators turning a blind eye to licence breaches that occurred over the next 30 years.

Let’s open door 6

The Trinity Street Factory had convenient canal links for disposing of its toxic waste. The sites at The Gower Tip and at Rattlechain were the end of the line. Alfred Matty boats transported the cargo by narrowboat, as seen above, and it is known that the entire route they took polluted the canal on the way there.  An account of this towards the end of the process can be read HERE. The legacy of waste led to one of those transporting the white phosphorus contaminated waste as “a place in which nothing could live.”

Let’s open door 5

AW BOMBS. A mass produced incendiary grenade by Albright and Wilson and issued to the Home Guard. Utterly unfit for purpose, these “anti-tank” weapons were discarded and forgotten, but destroyed in large quantities. They contained a mixture of phosphorus and benzene, and we know that the year of manufacture ceased when the use of Rattlechain lagoon started in 1942.

Let’s open door number 4

The Trinity Street Factory. A first and second world war Government contracted military installation, with plenty of surplus phosphorus related material to dispose of during the conflicts and of course after it. Ever since it has been the centre of its own attention in the Langley area, and its links to the rattlechain lagoon site.  There have been spills,  emissions and fires, and plenty of questions concerning the hazardous substances contained within.

Let’s open door 3

The rattlechain brickworks and its former associated abandoned claypit, which by the time of this 1950 picture was already in use for waste dumping by Albright and Wilson. The lagoon at this stage was a single pit receiving the factory waste, all unregulated- anything could be tipped there.

Let’s open door 2

White phosphorus– or P4- the highly toxic solid responsible for poisoning dozens of birds at Rattlechain lagoon. A banned rat poison and military weapon. The picture above shows a lethal adult human dose of the equivalent amount of sugar granules which would fit on the end of the Queens nose on a one pence piece- (around 50mg). For wildfowl ingesting it in the shallow sediments at the lagoon, this would be far less. Tens of tonnes of the chemical are present in the waste deposited there for over 60 years.

Let’s open door 1

Albright and Wilson’s 20th Century empire is shown in this 1950’s map of their operations. The Oldbury site saw the deposit of much of its toxic waste moved to rattlechain lagoon. The legacy of pollution from their phosphorus chemistry remains.

I used to love advent calendars as a kid. 24 doors to open and what lurks behind each door?

Those lucky folks around Trinity Street HQ get a free calendar from the company delivered through their doors, as though they own the neighbourhood that they have been polluting for years with emissions of one sort or another.

Sooooooooo….. here’s the rattlechain lagoon advent version, telling the story so far of this notorious location. We’ll be lifting the lid over the next month as to what lies beneath rattlechain lagoon, for those who are new to this website.