CONCERNS have been raised as Buckley residents wake up to see their street covered in a mysterious powder.

Jonathan Pope, who lives near Church Road, said on the morning of October 23, residents on the street woke to see a powder covering their cars, but did not know where it had come from.

He told the Leader: “I suffer with asthma and overnight on October 22, I awoke in the night with a bad chest, coughing and wheezing, which is unusual as I am normally well controlled.

“I sleep with the window open. I woke with a really bad chest and I didn’t think anything of it, I thought it may have been an unusually bad night because of the time of year but in the morning everywhere was covered in this powder.”

Jonathon said he spoke to other residents in Buckley and it appeared to be a ‘widespread issue’.

He added: “Apparently it has happened before and used to happen all the time towards the bottom of Buckley and in Penyffordd too.

“I’ve been here for four years and it’s the first time it’s happened to me.

“It is quite concerning to be fair because we are living in a time where we are all being told to be environmentally conscious and these companies are allowed to put anything in the air.”

Residents reported seeing representatives from Hanson Cement taking samples from cars to establish where the material was from.

Jonathan said: “In my view Hanson’s are the only company in the area with a facility large enough to cause this type of pollution. I have reported the incident to Hanson’s and Natural Resources Wales, however I do not hold out much hope of a satisfactory outcome.

“In these times of environmental focus, the large companies still appear to be able to do what they like without any recourse and without due regard to the local community and environment.

“We ended up cleaning the car but it has left white marks which is going to take some time to get out.

“We are walking around breathing this in but what are we actually breathing in.”

Other nearby residents raised concerns over it only occurring during the night.

A spokesman for Natural Resources Wales said: “We regulate businesses to ensure they can operate successfully without harming people and the environment.

“Since Wednesday 23 October, we’ve received several reports from people in the Buckley area about dust on their vehicles and property who suggested that Castle Cement Ltd’s site in Padeswood is the source of the dust.

“We visited the site on 24 October to investigate any possible link between plant operations and the complaints, and our investigations are ongoing.

“With the permission of local residents, the operator has collected samples of dust from affected vehicles and these will be analysed to help identify the source.”

Castle Cement, Padeswood plant manager, Murat Burakçin said:“We are aware of some material deposits on vehicles and homes in the Buckley area earlier this week (October 23rd) and we have taken samples which are now being independently assessed.

“We take our role as a good neighbour very seriously and, although the source has still to be confirmed, we would like to reassure local people that any inadvertent discharge from our works would pose no adverse health risks.

“We ask those who may have been affected to get in touch by calling our plant during office hours on 01244 552501.”