Today's Guardian reports that a British arms company has abandoned plans to carry out live fire testing of anti-personnel bombs dropped by drones in the middle of the Flow Country world heritage site. The planned testing ground is owned by the Liberal Democrat peer John Thurso.
The paper says:
The Flow Country became the first peat bog in the world to be granted world heritage site status by Unesco in July, in recognition of its rarity and its importance to conservation and combating the climate crisis.
The bomb tests have now been cancelled after the Guardian told Overwatch that the area earmarked for them included part of the Strathmore peatlands site of special scientific interest, a heavily protected peat bog home to rare and threatened birds, such as dunlin, golden plover and greenshank.
The paper quotes John Thurso:
Lord Thurso said he was unaware that Overwatch had planned to use drones, did not know that fragmentation bombs were involved, and did not know that the CAA application included part of the Strathmore peatlands.
He said a deep quarry he owns near the peatlands had been used for “all sorts” of military and munitions testing for 20 years without incident.
He said “there is absolutely no way” he would have approved the use of drones or explosives over Strathmore. “Certainly we would never give permission for people to go dropping bombs in the blanket bog.”
Lord Bonkers ponders: I suppose they'll be looking for somewhere else to test their infernal contraptions.
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