Should there be a moratorium on "Nuclear Mud" dumping?

As I have previously stated.

This blog is no fan of maverick currently expelled former Plaid AM Neil McEvoy  and his populists politics and admit that my reaction to his  early campaign against plans to dump mud off the south Wales coast that has been dredged from near the Hinkley Point nuclear sites was just that populist scaremongering  and publicity seeking.

Nevertheless  those involved in the campaign and those with even minor worries have not been assured with news from the BBC that 

Developers must clarify whether dumping mud from near a nuclear plant is covered by an environmental impact assessment (EIA), a judge has said.Judge Milwyn Jarman said EDF's evidence was "not accurate on a very important point" on whether material dredged from the seabed near Hinkley Point C site in Somerset was included in the EIA.

They go on to say,

Campaigners want an injunction to halt the dumping that began last week.
A High Court hearing in Cardiff has been adjourned for seven days.
About 300,000 tonnes is to be dredged from the seabed near the building site and deposited in the Cardiff Grounds, a mile off the coast of the Welsh capital.
Energy firm EDF, which is behind the £19.6bn plan to build the nuclear plant, argued the mud dump was addressed in a main environment statement that formed part of the main planning application for Hinkley Point C and was approved by the UK Government.
But the judge said that was not clear from a witness statement the company had submitted to court.

 The firm's barrister James McClelland accepted the wording could have been made clearer.

Legal action is being brought by the Campaign Against Hinkley Mud Dumping, which includes Super Furry Animals keyboard player Cian Ciaran.

The application for an injunction has been brought in the name of rock star Cian Ciaran, the keyboard player with Super Furry Animals. The case has been brought with the help of a successful crowdfunding appeal.

Jonathan Edwards, the barrister representing Mr Ciaran, opened his case by saying that the EDF subsidiary was claiming his client had no legal right to apply for an injunction simply because he was a citizen living in Wales. He said that was disputed.

Mr Edwards explained that the protesters’ case hinged on the fact that no EIA had been undertaken when it should have been.

Mr McClelland told the court that an environmental statement was contained in the original application for Hinkley Point C which made several references to the company’s intention to dump mud in the disposal site in the Severn Estuary known as Cardiff Grounds. The document was said to run to more than 2,000 pages.

Questioned by Judge Milward Jarman QC about the apparent discrepancy between his statements in court and what was said in a written submission, Mr McClelland conceded that the document could have been phrased better and that as it stood was inaccurate. He blamed the shortness of time the company and legal team had had to respond to the application.

The judge adjourned the case for a week so the contents of the Hinkley Point C application could be scrutinised by both parties to see if it amounted to an EIA in the terms of the European regulations.

No application was made to stop further dumping, which began last week . The company could potentially seek huge damages from Mr Ciaran if he ultimately loses the case and the dumping contract had been disrupted.

The hearing came after protesters wearing gas mask and seagull costumes gathered outside the court, some holding banners and signs condemning the dumping.

Campaigners asked for a temporary injunction to be imposed until the next hearing, but the request was turned down., which is unfortunate as mud id already being dumped, and there must be a concern that there might be a reluctance from legislatures whether the courts or elected bodies to open a can worms if the campaigner fears were even partly realised. .

Neil McEvoy AM said campaigners were planning to organise a blockade in an effort to halt the dumping.

He said:

 "Unfortunately the judge adjourned for seven days without an interim injunction.
"So what we're going to do now is ask people with any available boats to blockade the dumping ground - which can be done lawfully."
A barge made its first trip to dump mud last Monday evening despite hundreds of people protesting against the plan.

It is clear that this has not been handled well and there surely should be a monetorium on the dumping.

I am not sure if Mr McEvoy will ever be satisfied, but it is the people in the area that really matter and its they who matter.