THE MP for North Cornwall has called for a debate in parliament relating to the Camelford water poisoning of 1988.

Nearly 38 years after the incident, which saw 20 tonnes of aluminium sulphate inadvertently added to the water supply at the Lowermoor treatment works, raising the concentration to 3,000 times the permissible level, there have been many calls for answers to a topic which has been long alleged locally to have been covered up to protect the impending privatisation of the water industry.

The topic was recently brought to life in a BBC documentary called ‘Poison Water’, which saw members of the local community, including Doug Cross, interviewed on the impact the event had on them.

Reacting to the documentary, MP Ben Maguire said that he would renew calls for parliamentary scrutiny in order for those affected to get answers.

He said: "The Camelford disaster remains a scar on our history here in North Cornwall. Nearly forty years on now, we still don’t have the full truth about what happened, or how it was covered up by authorities.

“A full public inquiry is long overdue. The victims and their families here deserve answers. The public deserve reassurance that such a catastrophe could never happen again. We need to know exactly what safeguards South West Water has in place to protect drinking water quality.

“I've officially applied for a debate on this topic in Parliament, on behalf of my North Cornwall constituents, to press Ministers directly and bring more national attention to this scandal.”

In a statement issued as part of the documentary, South West Water said: “Camelford was a tragic incident that took place before South West Water was founded, in a completely different regulatory era.

“Today, water quality is overseen by strict independent regulators with modern safeguards and rigorous monitoring.”