51³Ô¹ÏÍø

French beaches polluted with oil from the Torrey Canyon; FRANCE: Port Blanc: TMS Nicholson On Beach: SOF: This is Port Blanc where the French team of Government experts said the oil couldn't come ashore. Pull Out To GTV showing troops at work by oil tubs and tanks: Here, its every bit as bad as it was in Cornwall, and in some parts much, much worse. But unlike Cornwall very little seems to be done about it. This is perhaps the worst hit area of all. There are only about twenty soldiers working here, and a couple of civilians including over there three women scooping up the oil with saucepans into the polythene tubs. All the way up and down this coast of Brittany the French Authorities have failed to stop the oil coming ashore. It's taken them completely by surprise and they admit it. MS Nicholson standing by sacks of sawdust SOF: This is one of the reasons why they are so angry. Sawdust, tons of it supplied by the Government to prevent the oil coming ashore. But its useless, its too old and far too wet. Some of these sacks date back to 1941, this one in front of me has the German Swastica on it. The fishermen were supposed to take it out in their trawlers and float it on the sea to mix with the oil so that it's more manageable. But this saw dust is soaked, soaked wet. Bends: Picks Up Handful: Its sodden right the way through: Throws Into Water: Pan Down As It Sinks: Instead of floating it sinks like a stone. Neg 16mm ITN (Crockett) 1.25 mins 53 ft 13.4.67 / 8.55 pm 47562/318B/2/67