Protest calls for St Ives Bay chemical test delay

More than 300 people gathered at Gwithian Towans on Sunday to protest against the plans set for June

A community protest against a proposed "chemical dump" and test at St Ives Bay, Cornwall, has taken place.

More than 300 people gathered at Gwithian Towans on Sunday to protest the plans set to start in June.

Protesters said not enough information had been provided by Planetary Technologies, the company proposing the chemical testing.

The company's CEO Mike Kelland said it would not be dumping any chemicals into the ocean.

He said the firm hoped it could "earn the trust of the people of Cornwall" so "together, we can save our planet".

He said: "We are absolutely confident that our test is both safe and necessary in the fight against climate change.

"We understand that new things can be daunting, but the climate crisis is on our doorstep and the time to act is now."

Plans included a "small, initial test" using a small amount of substance, "which is already used in wastewater treatment" to an outfall.

'Safety protocols'

Mr Kelland said any work done would be under regulator supervision and with required approvals.

Protesters asked for a delay to the plans, an environmental impact assessment and a public consultation.

They asked for the delay to allow time for results from a reported previous experiment to be "published and peer reviewed", and to establish "more rigorous safety protocols".

More information regarding scaling up and its potential environmental impact was also requested.

One protester said: "We're coming together to raise our community voice and ask the questions that need to be asked.

"We love St Ives Bay, it's really important to us and we want to protect it."