Mossmorran began another session of flaring again from last night (Saturday 19th June 2010). We have received a few emails complaining about the noise and today at 9:25pm I can hear the sound from the local co-op so I do sympathise with the residents at the top of the town.
The noise and flaring was preceded by the usual black smoke and then a large flare which continued well into the night, but today the noise and vibration from the plant is very excessive, to the point that we would be interested in getting a decibel meter recording the sound levels created by the plant.
With flaring still underway, it looks set to continue all night and most of the complaints we have received are about the noise levels and light pollution. One e-mail stated:
The sound is like a roar of a Boeing 747 jet engine
Noise pollution is a cause of stress for local residents and there has been residents in the past claim that the vibrations from the plant have been causing damage to property, however, we cannot confirm this, and I am sure it is denied by the plant.
We do know having hearing the plant all day, that it is certainly loud, and must be much louder and a source of much annoyance to residents at the top of the town.
The plant owners will regret the flaring, not because of the effects on the local community, but because this flaring is burning away their profits, and that is why they say, flaring is only used as a last resort.
Below we have included an old video captured of the Mossmorran flare in 2007 by a local resident just to give some of our site visitors from outwith the Fife area, an idea of what local residents have to tolerate.
If anyone would like to submit more recent footage or images please contact us. You can also discuss Mossmorran in the comments below, or head over to our forum and create a new topic
sus2201
July 16, 2010 at 10:03 am
Once again the flaring has kept me awake at night! 15/07/2010. The flare was visible for the whole day & the noise & light all night was ridiculous! It makes you wonder how safe it is!
I am a very concerned resident from Cowdenbeath!!!
Margaret
July 16, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I live at the top end of Lochgelly and the noise keeps me awake most of the night also. It sounds like constant thunder or a plane overhead. The roar is ridiculous and the constant light also disturbs my sleep. Through the day I have to keep all the windows shut to cut down on the noise but even with the windows shut you can still hear the constant roar. The flaring and the noise gives me sore heads and I just feel constantly ill with it. Its ridiculous that we have to put up with this type of noise pollution. If I made that type of noise or a normal industry made that type of a noise I would soon find myself in trouble with complaints against me. How come they are being allowed to get away with this, year in year out. So much for the quality of life for the residents of central Fife