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| MoD experts to visit radioactive Dalgety Bay beach | MoD experts to visit radioactive Dalgety Bay beach |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Officials from the MoD will visit Dalgety Bay in Fife later to explain what they plan to do about radioactive particles found on the beach there. | Officials from the MoD will visit Dalgety Bay in Fife later to explain what they plan to do about radioactive particles found on the beach there. |
| The radiation is thought to be linked to the remains of World War II aircraft buried in the area. | The radiation is thought to be linked to the remains of World War II aircraft buried in the area. |
| The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has given the MoD until the end of February to devise a plan to make the beach safe. | |
| If no plan emerges Sepa will declare the land contaminated. | |
| Over the past few months more than 200 radioactive particles have been found and part of the shore was cordoned off in October for further investigation. | |
| Dalgety Bay hosted a wartime airfield, where many aircraft were dismantled. | |
| They were used as landfill and it is thought erosion has led to radioactive radium from the aircraft dials leaking onto the foreshore. | |
| 'Solve this problem' | |
| After a meeting between Sepa, the MoD and members of the local community in November, Sepa said it wanted a full draft of the MoD's plan for the site by the end of January, with a final set of plans by the end of February. | |
| "If that isn't forthcoming, Sepa will continue with its progress to designate the land as contaminated by the end of March," a spokesman said. | |
| If Sepa did declare the area as "Radioactive Contaminated Land", it is understood this would be the first time it has happened in the UK. | |
| Chairman of Dalgety Bay and Hillend Community Council Colin McPhail said this was the last thing residents wanted. | |
| He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It's a requirement certainly and responsibility of the Ministry of Defence on a voluntary basis to come up, to solve this problem and carry out remedial works and solve it once and for all - and that should be this year." | |
| MoD representatives also met with Sepa, the Scottish government and members of the Dalgety Bay Forum in November, describing the talks as "constructive". |