A man campaigning against future housing development has described as 'verging on the scandalous' a government minister's comments over the Aire Valley sewer.

John Walker, of Halsteads Way, Steeton, wants development in Silsden, Eastburn and Steeton to stop until Yorkshire Water has revealed details of sewer capacity in the area.

He wrote to Environment Minister Michael Meacher inviting him to visit Keighley and look into the problems of large-scale planned housing, allegedly inadequate sewerage infrastructure and Yorkshire Water's refusal to make available to the public its drainage area survey of the district.

Mr Walker says the sewer, which runs from Cross Hills to the Marley treatment works cannot cope in its present capacity let alone with 1,500 new homes.

Parliamentary under secretary of state Alan Meale responded by saying he understands that the drainage area plan has been completed. He says Mr Walker has already met Yorkshire Water officers, been shown the findings of the study and had many of his questions answered. He says once the study has been audited Yorkshire Water will produce a summary which will be publicly available.

But Mr Walker has written back to Mr Meale saying: "I find your response inadequate, perfunctory and verging on the scandalous. I was not shown the findings of the drainage area survey.

"Yorkshire Water strenuously resists disclosing the survey.

"Yorkshire Water has a huge financial vested interest in the results of the drainage area survey showing that the system can cope."

No one at Yorkshire Water was available for comment.

If the system were shown to be failing, it would involve it in capital expenditure running into millions of pounds."

He says that it appears Mr Meale sees nothing untoward in Yorkshire Water not making the full report available for expert independent scrutiny.

He goes on to say that there is no consistency between this position and the one the Environment Minister has taken on the replacement to the GM advisory committee.

"For the public to have any confidence in drainage area surveys they must be made public," he added.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.