Quarries

One of the interesting facets of being an MP is the diversity of your constituency. In my patch I have 3 prisons (all very different), a nuclear power plant, two Severn Bridges, a major hospital and, amongst other things, several quarries. Today I visited two of them - at Wickwar and at Wick - run by Cemex (previously RMC). The photo shows me with two of Cemex's managers at the bottom of Wick quarry.

The local quarries are important employers and also provide pretty essential raw materials for things like motorways. But inevitably it is impossible to excavate large quantities of limestone without some impact on the environment, and I've had issues raised with me by residents near both quarries about things like noise, dust, smells and traffic.

One of the encouraging things about today's visit to Wickwar was to see that in the last week Cemex have responded to representations by me and by local residents and have spent significant sums on sound insulation for the 'primary crusher' - the noisiest bit of the plant. I think most local people recognise that quarries are a part of the local environment - there's been quarrying at Wick for over 100 years - and are ready for a bit of give and take, so it's encouraging to see that the company has taken steps to try to deal with one of the main complaints that I have raised with them.