Yesterday I visited the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, to meet with Hume Jones, Managing Director of Capita Fire and Rescue, and local District Councillor, Daryl Corps.

We covered many topics including the varied work of the college, and the interest expressed by London Ambulance and Met Police in training at the College. We also talked about their tri-service training and liaison with the army.

They have unique facilities at the college, which I hope they will invest more in to secure the site for the future. I emphasised the importance of the college for local employment and the local economy.

We discussed Cotswold District Council’s local plan update, and the concerns of residents about the scale of the proposed development and potential impact on the college site.

We also discussed soil contamination on the site caused by the historical use of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) for fire suppression. While highly effective in extinguishing fires, AFFFs contain substances called poly- and perfluoroalkyl (PFAS), commonly referred to as "forever chemicals," a major source of pollution across the globe since the 1940s, which do not easily degrade in nature. The foam had been used at the college dating back to when it was an RAF base, and there are many RAF bases across the country which have in the past used this foam.

The College are working closely with the Environment Agency to see what can be done to remediate this historic pollution problem.