Environmental legislation 'must be enforced to prevent mud disasters'

Environmental legislation aimed at preventing serious toxic mud from flowing through public areas must be fully implemented in eastern and central Europe, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has said.

Marking the 12 month anniversary of the red mud disaster in Hungary, chiefs at the organisation are concerned that measures have not yet been put in place to avoid a repeat scenario.

Ten people died and 150 were injured when one million cubic metres of toxic red mud escaped from an aluminium plant in Ajka in October 2010.

Chief executive officer of WWF Hungary Gabory Figeczky believes the situation is a "ticking time bomb".

The WWF has now called on the European Commission to step in to ensure the terms set out in the EU Mining Waste Directive are followed in practice and not just in theory.

River water quality in parts of the UK has been tainted by mining waste in recent weeks, with the Environment Agency reporting that the Neath in Wales had turned bright orange following a spill of material.

Posted by Claire Manning