Residents are demanding answers after fallout from cement works

Residents living near Clitheroe's cement works are demanding answers after suffering from weeks of an 'unknown worrying substance' sticking to their cars and the windows of their homes.
Balmoral Park resident Howard Blackburn outside Clitheroe's Hanson Cement.Balmoral Park resident Howard Blackburn outside Clitheroe's Hanson Cement.
Balmoral Park resident Howard Blackburn outside Clitheroe's Hanson Cement.

People living around the Balmoral Park and Waddington Road areas of Clitheroe have been most affected with some now increasingly worried about the effect the substance could be having on their health.

The substance, residents say, is impossible to wash off once it coats a surface, with the only solution being to polish a vehicle right down to the paintwork with a mechanical device or to use a mild acid.

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Balmoral Park resident Howard Blackburn explained: “Residents first noticed this around six months ago.

“It doesn’t happen all the time, it depends which way the wind is blowing for it to affect us.

“However, during the past few weeks the problem has been really bad, so much so that Hanson Cement has told residents to get their cars professionally cleaned and they will foot the bill.”

He added: “If this stuff is sticking to surfaces, we are also breathing it in and people are now wondering if their health problems are related to it.

“It is a health and safety issue regarding our cars as it cannot be cleared off the windscreen. This is a minor irritation, but when it comes to people’s health that’s a different matter.