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From: "Jo Makepeace" (webmaster@schnews.org.uk)
Subject: SchNEWS 573, Friday 26th January, 2007
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:03:38 -0000

Radley Lakes Protest (Oxfordshire) - support needed

Boo Radleys

Action stations in Oxfordshire at the moment as the forces of good attempt to stop Didcot power station, now operated by RWE Npower, from wrecking a local beauty spot. Thrupp Lake at Radley is under imminent threat of being drained and infilled with fly-ash (i.e. stuff that won't burn, containing toxic metals like lead, copper and zinc) from Didcot, threatening the whole area's ecosystem. There used to be even more lakes in the area but back in the "environment? what's that?" eighties, the local council planning department happily dished out handfulls of permissions allowing the dumping of Didcot's waste for years in return for, well we're not quite sure... Four lakes were subsequently filled and in 2005 Npower announced plans to use to ash up the remaining two.

A raft of objections from locals only managed to get the plan amended to leave the smaller lake alone...for now. Unsatisfied with that, the campaign continues and some more enterprising folk have been occupying a large house by the site since late December, becoming a base of protests and home to numbers of people. The forces of darkness have moved swiftly however, and less than three weeks later, they are facing an imminent eviction order.

Help is needed now - the address is Sandals, Thrupp Lane, Radley, OX14 3NG.

The lakes are surrounded by mature woodland and are a rich wildlife habitat supporting otters, water voles, Kingfishers, badgers, Carp and great crested newts to name a few - for more see -

http://www.radleyvillage.org.uk/ourvillage/natural_history/thrupp_lakes.htm

Aside from the threats to animal and plant ecosystem, even from one of the remaining lakes being destroyed, the area is part of the Thames Flood plane and the loss of an another excess run-off sink could very well affect flooding levels nearby, which have already experienced higher water levels since the earlier lakes were infilled. This could be especially pertinent as we welcome home the effects of global warming... resultant from intense burning of fossil fuels such as at. Didcot - yes, it's a vicious circle...

For full background, current info and to join the campaign see -

http://www.saveradleylakes.org.uk

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