Dangers of Pirbright Drains Known Last Year

2.13.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 1st Oct 2007

Management (including bio-security officers) at the Institute of Animal Health (IAH) sites in Pirbright and Compton (West Berkshire) were warned many months before the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth (F & M) disease that their drains and Effluent Treatment systems created bio-security dangers.

The warning came from contractor Steve Kendrew who worked at both sites as a project manager between May 06 and June 07, running the Backlog Maintenance Programme. While employed by IAH, he raised his concerns with Prof. Martin Shirley (Director of the IAH), Dr Paul Heeney of the HSE, Prof. Paul Mansor at DEFRA and the BBSRC.

On 13/11/06 Mr Kendrew sent an email to Chris Barlow, Head of Estates at the IAH, which highlighted a number of significant risks at both sites. These included:

1) Leaking effluent drains

2) Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) not maintained

3) Regular flooding at Compton ETP

4) No Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) at either site

5) Failure of the air pressure systems in bio-secure buildings

As soon as Professor Brian Spratt was appointed to investigate the cause of the F & M outbreak in August, Mr Kendrew called him to suggest he should concentrate on the ETP and the drainage system, in particular the link between Meriel and the IAH.

Since being proved right, Mr Kendrew has presented a report on his long-standing concerns to Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, Chris Huhne MP, and David Rendel (Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury, 1993-2005). Mr Rendel, who served for four years as a member of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, has suggested to the National Audit Office that they should conduct an investigation.

Mr Kendrew is now determined to do all he can to bring the problems he has witnessed to a wider audience, and to ensure they are properly dealt with. He is calling for the immediate redirection of all Pirbright redevelopment construction traffic away from the original source of the outbreak.

"I understand that the drains at Pirbright have now been repaired. However I believe the land around the drains may still be a bio-security hazard for at least 50 days. It is vital that traffic is redirected immediately to prevent further infectious material being carried out of Pirbright on contractors' vehicles and causing new risks of F & M outbreaks on nearby farmland. I believe there is also an urgent need to investigate the drains at Compton using a camera passed down inside the pipeline.

"I want to reduce the risks caused by the failure to tackle seriously the problems I have highlighted. We must ensure that the safety and security of the population and the future of British farming are no longer put in danger."

Mr Rendel added, "Now that we know just how dangerous the drains at Pirbright were, it is vital that we make quite sure the same is not true of Compton."