{"id":163,"date":"2013-02-11T20:04:29","date_gmt":"2013-02-11T20:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?page_id=163"},"modified":"2024-04-11T16:55:41","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T16:55:41","slug":"canal-pollution","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?page_id=163","title":{"rendered":"Canal pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

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CANAL POLLUTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Accounts of pollution around the Houghton chemical arm from where Albright and Wilson historically loaded their waste materials for disposal at Rattlechain are confirmed in a British Waterways canal inspection report dated 16th<\/sup> November 1961<\/strong>,where the inspector comments<\/p>\n

\u201cArea badly polluted by soda ash and phosphor, Albright and Wilson.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

The toxic trail- from The Houghton Chemical arm Trinity Street to Rattlechain lagoon via The Birmingham canal Old and New mainlines is shown below- click to view larger version.<\/p>\n

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The toxic trail from Trinity Street to Rattlechain.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Not only does this route potentially pollute several miles of canal, but also considered should be that it extended back to the boatyard at Coseley.<\/p>\n

Using The Freedom of Information Act, we were able to obtain historic deed maps of the route, showing the extent of other industries operating around the BCN network over time from The former British Waterways. This should be born in mind when considering information revealed in letters below.<\/p>\n

To follow this route in detail:<\/p>\n

Entrance from Houghton chemical arm going left onto Birmingham Old mainline canal. sheet no 50<\/a><\/p>\n

Continuation towards Oldbury under Seven Stars Road the entrance to the filled in Churchbridge branch and associated basins upto highbridge at Furnace Street\/ now in the Rounds Green Road area.Sheet no 49\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Continuation of old mainline canal, showing several pieces of land were subsequently bought by Accles and Pollocks. Also showing a part of the filled in Oldbury loop\u00a0 and The Oldbury brickworks.Sheet 47<\/a><\/p>\n

Continuation of canal through Brades Bridge area towards Gower Branch. Sheet 46<\/a><\/p>\n

Gower basin and entrance to the Gower Branch. Also shows Brades Hall colliery, the boiler works and the Hange Furnaces and associated basins further on. Sheet 45<\/a><\/p>\n

Gower branch\/Monks Tip to the junction of mainline canal. Sheet ?<\/a><\/p>\n

RATTLECHAIN Brickworks\/lagoon area.\u00a0Sheet\u00a0 25<\/a><\/p>\n

Netherton Branch\/Stour Valley brickworks area . Sheet 24<\/a><\/p>\n

A further map of the general Rattlechain area was also supplied here.<\/a><\/p>\n

An authoritative internet published account of carrying canal waste to Rattlechain\u00a0 before legislation is provided by narrow boat enthusiast Malcolm Edge in his memoir<\/p>\n

\u201cA lads eye view of the canals in the 1950’s-1970\u2019s.\u00a0 In Chapter 8 Companies and cargoes -The smell of the cut.\u201d\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The Alfred Matty boat \u201cMaureen\u201d and a second towed boat reportedly made two to three trips per day between Oldbury and Rattlechain to dispose of the factory waste. The last “official”\u00a0 cargo\u00a0was reportedly\u00a0made in 1970 where after deliveries switched to road tanker but there is strong anecdotal and verified evidence\u00a0 that this continued after this date into the 1970\u2019s, perhaps later as specific one off dredging contracts. Paul Bartlett who worked for Matty’s on this phosphorus run has confirmed this in a very informative recollection of the trade. <\/a><\/p>\n

A file note from Sandwell Council’s conservation officer concerning infilling of a part of the Houghton chemical Arm is outlined below. His account is also supported by The Inland Waterways Association publication “Birmingham Canal Navigations- a cruising and walking guide.” This was published in 1984, and so this makes its\u00a0recency to the cease of the trade a credible source. NB- WASTE TIPPING AT RATTLECHAIN\u00a0VIA BOAT WAS CONTINUING AFTER THE DEPOSIT OF POISONOUS WASTE ACT AND UPTO THE\u00a0CONTROL OF POLLUTION ACT 1974.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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File note outlining Houghton chemical arm waste disposal<\/p><\/div>\n

Having spoken at some length to Mr Edge about the work of the Alfred Matty boats and the Rattlechain site, he has provided a map of the location of the pipe and pumphouse located at the site as described in his memoir. He has made the following annotation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe marl hole shown between Rattlechain Mere and the canal where Autobase site now is, was also there in my childhood but was not the place that\u00a0Phosphorous\u00a0was tipped, that was\u00a0definitely\u00a0Rattlechain mere, we just called it the ‘Chemical pool’. \u00a0The other marl hole, ‘the Vono tip’, was the one owned by the bed company Vono and was used for tipping the trade waste from their bed making factory which was brought by tractor\/trailer\u00a0over a concrete bridge which used to span the Netherton branch just down Dudley Port Junction.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Anecdotal accounts of Albright and Wilson’s pollution of the canals is confirmed in the subsequent letters obtained by swanwatch. They also show a direct involvement of collaboration of waste tipping by British Waterways Board, Later British waterways.<\/p>\n

The first from 1958<\/strong> confirms that they paid Albright and Wilson a fee for disposing of their own waste dredgings. That the land between theirs and Albright and Wilson’s was unfenced and that there appeared to be a tipping free for all at the site given the companies concern at “the life of the tip”. This\u00a0is\u00a0 a stark indicator\u00a0when considering the waste that the site really contains- NOT JUST THAT WHICH CAME FROM ALBRIGHT AND WILSON ACTIVITIES, BUT MANY POLLUTING INDUSTRIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE CANAL NETWORK OF THE AREA!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Canal free tip<\/p><\/div>\n

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The following letter from 1960<\/strong> confirms that British Waterways Board were absent minded in their reported quantities of waste tipping into the Albright and Wilson site. The Gower Branch tip refered to (Monks Tip) is now located next to the Hindu Temple.<\/p>\n

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Tipping the waste<\/p><\/div>\n

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The following letter from Albright and Wilson from 1963<\/strong> confirms their will to remove an electrically operated chute, refered to in Mr Edge’s memoir and annotated map. They intend to raise the water levels in the single lagoon which indicates that the white phosphorus in the lagoon was perhaps giving them concern. Perhaps they were afraid of a child getting injured or more likely they wanted to increase the life of the tip by adding more water to fill up the hole in the ground.<\/p>\n

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pipe<\/p><\/div>\n

The following letter from British Waterways from 1970<\/strong> confirms the pollution that Albright and Wilson tipping is causing in the vicinity of the Rattlechain Tip. The build up of “light grey silt just below the water level” \u00a0that both knew about is extremely worrying. There is little doubt here that white phosphorus contamination from Albright and Wilson activities was not restricted to a contained process between factory and waste tip, but along the whole length of the journey between the two.<\/p>\n

\"British<\/a>

British waterways confirming pollution caused by Albright and Wilson’s waste materials in Birmingham canal.<\/p><\/div>\n

Another primary source of information concerning the canal landscape as it stood\u00a0in the\u00a0early 1970’s is vividly recalled in “Staffordshire” by Vivian Bird, \u00a0Batsford 1974.<\/strong>\u00a0The author in chapter two “Lost territory- The Black Country undertook a canal boat journey with legendary canal boat man “Caggy” Stevens.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It appears that the canal network at this point in history was a spectrum of colours, all based on the local polluting factory source, or cargo that was carried via boats but ended up spilt.<\/p>\n

“Turning into the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Catshill Stop we had a lunchtime drink at “the Anchor”, and in another mile reached our destination. The canal, milky at Oldbury, smoking with phosphorus at Tipton<\/span>, bottle-green at West Bromwich, and weedy at Rushall, was now deep and crystal clear.”<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE FOLLOWING KEY POINTS CAN BE DEDUCED FROM THESE SOURCES.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n