Actress and activist Joanna Lumley has called on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds to end the ‘needless’ detonations of World War Two bombs at sea.
In an open letter to Number 10, she has urged the Prime Minister to support the ‘low order deflagration’ method of ordnance disposal to protect dolphins and whales from underwater explosions which are routinely used to clear ordinance ahead of wind farm construction in the UK. In the seas around Britain, an estimated 50 detonations are carried out every year, but this figure is likely to increase to around 200 every year by 2030 as a result of the quadrupling of offshore wind farms, as part of Johnson’s pledge to power every home using wind energy by 2030. Ms Lumley, launched the ‘Stop Sea Blasts’ campaign late last year, which is supported by four conservation charities including Marine Connection and several members of Parliament. A petition calling for an end to the deadly practice has been signed by over 100,000 people so far.
In 2011, at the Kyle of Durness in Scotland, 39 long-finned pilot whales entered the bay at high tide, became stranded and eventually 19 of the whales died. A Government report found that nearby bomb disposal operations in the days leading up to this tragedy were the only external event with the potential to cause the whales to strand.
Further details on the campaign can be found here
