91Èȱ¬

The 91Èȱ¬'s Inside Out programme – Wednesday 28 January, 91Èȱ¬ One South, 7.30pm – investigates the story of two elderly brothers who were forced to leave their home during the Second World War and could now be evicted for the second time.

Brian and Derrick Cake have farmed the army firing ranges on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset all of their lives.

Their family was evicted from Whitehall Farm, Creech, in 1943 when the land was requisitioned as part of the preparations for D-Day.

Since 1951, they have lived at nearby Oaktree Cottage, but now that property could also be taken from them.

This time the threat comes from the possible expansion of an open cast clay mine at Povington. If planners were to approve the proposal then the new pit would swallow up Brian and Derrick's home.

Derrick tells the 91Èȱ¬'s Inside Out programme that he shouldn't have to give up his home a second time.

"I am not too happy about being thrown out at my time of life," says the 77-year-old. "They'll have to put me in the hole and bury me."

His 67-year-old brother Brian is also determined to stay: "We have always had a good relationship with the quarry people and we don't want to fall out. But you have got to fight for what you've got."

Although the brothers own their own home, the French mining firm Imerys owns all the mineral rights in the area. This means that, if the company gets planning approval, it can dig up Brian and Derrick's property.

91Èȱ¬owners are normally entitled to compensation if they lose their property to a mining development.

But the Cake brothers could be left penniless, because of an unusual clause which was written into their property deeds in 1951.

It states that the owner of the mineral rights can dig up their home without paying them any compensation.

The expansion of the clay pit would also take half of the historic gardens at nearby Creech Grange, a grade one listed country house.

Norman Hayward, the former Chairman of Bournemouth Football Club, has spent the past 30 years restoring the house and gardens.

He says the development would be a disaster for the countryside.

"It would take away two lakes, a waterfall, a temple and, of course, all the vistas and great trees that we are looking to conserve and restore.

"We have got a raven colony, bats, badgers and deer. I think it is for the public to decide whether they want this country looking after or not."

The clay pit proposal is one of four that Imerys has put forward to Dorset County Council's Minerals Site Allocation Document.

There will now be a further round of public consultation before the councillors decide later this year which sites should be included in the minerals plan.

Most of the clay from Povington goes to Portugal and Spain, but Imerys says the mine is of national importance.

"Ball clay has been regarded for many years as a mineral of national importance because of its special qualities and rare occurrence," the company says.

"Minerals can only be worked where they are found. The current operations in Dorset support more than 50 jobs and contribute significantly to the local economy.

"Imerys works closely with the appropriate authorities to minimise operational impacts and to enhance the local environment wherever possible."

HD