Published: Thursday, 10th July, 2008 8:40am

Rosyth neighbours blast bunker blasting

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RESIDENTS of a Rosyth street are living in fear of flying debris they say is being thrown up by demolition work on a nearby oil storage bunker.

And Dunfermline West MSP Jim Tolson and families living in Ferry Toll Place are concerned that work on the 7.5 metre thick concrete structure is set to continue until 2010.

The project is being carried out on behalf of the Scarborough Muir Group, who are redeveloping the Rosyth waterfront area and who deny any wrongdoing.

Demolition of the massive grass-topped tank, beside Ferry Toll Road, began in 2005 and involves using blasting to dislodge the concrete.

The bunker, which dates back to the 1930s, was reinforced with a million tonnes of concrete to protect it from the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.

But demolition is proving to be an ongoing headache for residents of nearby houses.

They have complained that thick dust, stones and even large chunks of concrete have landed in their back gardens after blasts were carried out.

They have also claimed that, whenever a blast goes off, their houses shake.

The Scarborough Muir Group has rebutted claims that the debris has come from the operation, one of the biggest of its type in the world.

When a charge is due to go off, the road is closed and an alarm is sounded, prompting some locals to run for cover.

One Ferry Toll Place resident, father-of-two Tom Harnwell (27), said a piece of concrete had damaged his back door.

“The house shakes and it terrifies the kids,” he fumed. “If the alarm goes off we have to bring them in. We shouldn’t have to feel like this in our own home.

“Some of the stones were even embedded in the roof of the garage.”

A mum-of-three from the street, who did not wish to be named, said she thought her roof was falling in once after it was showered by rocks and stones.

“Our concerns are for the children,” she said.

“The last time it happened, the children were in the garden and I’m sure someone could have ended up in the A&E.”

She said that the sound of the alarm also caused her to rush to bring her children into the house.

A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive would not comment on the residents’ claims of flying rocks but did say the executive was happy with the changes that had been made.

“As far as the Health and Safety Executive is concerned, an amicable agreement has been reached,” she said.

“The contractor has changed its method of work slightly and that has satisfied our concerns.”

A spokeswoman for the Scarborough Muir Group said complaints about debris had been fully reviewed.

“The result of this review has shown the blasting procedure used meets, and often exceeds, the statutory health and safety measures in place,” she said.

“Investigations have concluded that the level of blasting carried out would not possibly permit any material to be thrown from the site boundary.

“It is not accurate, therefore, to conclude that stones found in a residential garden arrived there through blasting.”

Mr Tolson has also received complaints about the falling stones and rocks.

He said he was sure the rocks found in residents’ gardens were those blown from the bunker.

He has now called into question the need for blasting the bunker apart, especially given the timescale for completion.

“That’s quite a while a way (2010),” he said. “I know it’s a big structure but for goodness sake. I would have hoped that, with that sort of deadline, they could have dismantled without the need for blasting.”

Although the Scarborough Muir Group denies any wrongdoing, the company has agreed to change the nature of its operations to “allay local concerns”.

In a letter to Mr Tolson, the group said the size of charge being used had been reduced and blasting technique had been adjusted.

The positioning of warning alarms is also to be looked at.

“I hope Scarborough Muir will be true to their word in reducing the effects of the blasting on local residents,” Mr Tolson added.

“If they come through then that will be fine but we need to keep a watch on that and I have asked my constituents to keep me informed.”