Many of us in the Northern Wastes who follow events over the border in Staffordshire via sites like the superlative Lichfield Blog, will be well used to the hyperbole, wild statements and attention seeking of the Staffordshire MP Michael Fabricant. It would seem he has surpassed himself. Apparently, should the dam at Chasewater give way ‘scores of lives will be lost’.

Leaking Chasewater dam could have ‘catastrophic consequences’, MP Fabricant claims.

Whilst I have sympathy with his funding concerns, I’m afraid that statement is scaremongering and somewhat reckless. For the straight dope on the Chasewater dam, check out Lichfield Council’s blog about the works.

Edit: As of this morning, Thursday, 21st January 2010, 10:52am, the Chasewater Dam Blog seems happy to propagate the scaremongering. Can we please have some sense here?