Close Paterson's Dump, Glasgow

That the Parliament calls for the immediate closure of Paterson’s Dump at Baillieston and Mount Vernon, Glasgow, to protect the public and the environment in the light of the four enforcement notices served on Paterson’s by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for failing to provide relief for outraged local residents from the appalling smells and for being unable to guarantee that the groundwater, which is close to the River Clyde, was not being affected by the dump, which is licensed to take arsenic, cyanide, asbestos and a total of 27 poisonous chemicals; recalls that in November 1999, following a Public Health Department investigation of the dump, Dr Harry Burns, Director of Public Health for Greater Glasgow stated “smells are, at times, literally breathtaking”, believes that, despite other attempts over the years, the continued suffering of local people can only be alleviated by a total closure of the dump, which is licensed to take up to 500,000 tonnes of waste every year including sewage which is hauled through urban areas on around 4,000 lorries; is deeply concerned that Paterson’s is the only high level toxic dump still existing within a city boundary in Scotland and that, after enduring the dump for 44 years, local people deserve relief; is determined that the East End of Glasgow should not remain a dumping ground for materials which many other areas will not accept; does not approve of the continuing profits being made by the dump’s owners while local tenants and council tax payers are subjected to misery and restrictions on the enjoyment of their homes and therefore calls upon SEPA to remove Paterson’s licence and enforce closure of the dump immediately and thereby uphold their claim to be protectors of the public and the environment.