How the Ministry of Defence stiffed Weedon Bec Parish Council

Last year I blogged about the discovery of live hand grenades on a recreation ground at Weedon Bec in Northamptonshire.

Then the BBC said the Ministry of Defence was examining ways to "provide financial support to the parish council".

Now BBC News says it has given the council £500,000 to pay for the clearance work.

That sounds generous, but it is not. Since the discovery, the site has needed 24-hour security, which the parish council has has to pay for.

This has meant an extra £250 a year in council tax for each household.

The BBC quotes the council's chairwoman Zoe O'Toole:

"I have lost hours and days of sleep over this. It's horrible as we have had to increase council tax in the village and that has made people cross."

Weedon is a village with strong military connections. It was the site of a barracks and of the Royal Ordnance Depot.