Shortly before Christmas, Green councillors Chris Copeman and John Roach took the microphones at the Cheshire West and Chester council meeting, forwarding a motion to support Zane’s Law, which we’re pleased to say passed without opposition. Zane’s Law seeks to address the dangers of PCB contamination on flood-prone land, prompted by the tragic death of Zane Gbangbola.
A photo of the sludge from Commonside Tip filtering into a stream below. The stream eventually flows out into the Mersey Estuary
Zane’s Law seeks to address the dangers of PCB contamination on flood-prone land, prompted by the tragic death of Zane Gbangbola. Zane and his parents were caught in the Thames flooding of 2014 when contaminated floodwaters entered their home, causing cardiac arrests that killed Zane and paralysed Kye, Zane’s father. The objective of the law is to enhance regulations and ensure that communities are adequately informed and safeguarded from concealed hazards, such as PCB contamination.
The Commonside Tip, Helsby brownsites, and their PCB contamination have been a continual concern. This was noted by John Roach in the recent meeting due to the “heightened risk of flooding” due to climate change. The motion asked that governmental action be taken to protect the health of residents living near or on these flood prone areas.
Councillor Chris has been instrumental in advocating for this motion and the protection of the residents of Helsby and Alvanley. Recently, they’ve been in conversation with the Clean Rivers Trust to discuss how a cross-party PCB task force might go about decontaminating the land. To hear more about this, Chris was a guest on Radio Northwich with Mike Cooksley which you can relisten to on replay (beginning at about 5 minutes in).
The news on the motion passing in Cheshire West and Chester underscores the importance of protecting our communities from toxic chemical contamination and is a step in the right direction. The motion has also passed in other councils, along with being put forward to the House of Lords by The Green Party’s Baroness Bennett.
If you’d like to know more about Zane’s Law or want to get involved, head over to the website for more information. We will keep you up to date on any significant movement on the Commonside Tip and the progress of Zane’s Law.