Michael Gove going on holiday to wildfire-hit Greek island of Evia – and says official advice is region is ‘safe’
Cabinet minister Michael Gove says he is going on holiday to a Greek island which is experiencing wildfires – and official advice is the region is “safe”.
The housing secretary told Sky News he was heading to Evia – a large island just off the coast of Athens – in “just over a week”.
It has seen fires in southern parts of the island, which is around 100 miles long. The Greek islands of Corfu and Rhodes have also been gripped by flames in recent days, sparking mass evacuations.
Adults ‘fight’ to be evacuated in Rhodes – wildfires latest
Evacuations have taken place on Evia in recent days due to the situation there.
Mr Gove said the Foreign Office has advised it is “safe” to go to Rhodes, and the fact that “particular” parts of the island needed to be evacuated was “unfortunate”.
He added that it was “absolutely right” that people were still able to go on holiday to Greece.
Mr Gove said: “It’s a tragedy that these fires have ruined what should be… the happiest, the most enjoyable time of the year for many.
“But it is also the case that I think that the criticism directed at individual firms isn’t necessarily merited.”
The minister was staunch in his support for the travel companies, despite some people complaining that they were being flown to the wildfire zones up until last Saturday, or being left unable to get in contact with anyone as they try to return to the UK.
He also played down how widespread the blazes are.
Read more:
Holiday booked to Greece? Your rights amid fires
TUI cancels flights to wildfire-hit Rhodes
British tourist escapes ‘scene from Dante’s Inferno’
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Greek wildfires seen from space
Mr Gove said: “I think it’s the case that obviously the fires on Rhodes have been tragic, and my heart goes out to those affected.
“But it is also the case, I think, as the Greek minister for tourism was pointing out yesterday, that the fires – while horrific – have been restricted to one part of the island.
“So, again, appropriate advice has been followed, it’s been put forward by the Foreign Office here that it is safe to go to Rhodes – but obviously evacuation in a particular part of the island has been important.”
Praising the travel firms, Mr Gove said that “individual travel firms have actually shown a great degree of responsibility in making sure that they are available to take people back in some circumstances” – adding that they will “make their own commercial decisions in line with government advices”.
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Alex Norris, Labour’s shadow levelling up minister, said he too would go on holiday to Rhodes if Foreign Office advice said it was safe.
There have been calls for the government to change its advice, as currently people cannot make claims for disruption due to fires on their insurance.
More British holidaymakers are due to return to the UK from fire-ravaged Rhodes on Tuesday as repatriation flights continue.
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Retreat from Rhodes
Hundreds of people have already landed at UK airports after parts of the popular Greek island went up in flames, forcing many to sleep in schools, airports and sports centres.
Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell estimated on Monday morning there were as many as 10,000 Britons on the island but the Foreign Office later said it would not be providing updates on the number of people repatriated.
Travel company TUI has cancelled all flights to Rhodes up to Friday, while Jet2 and fellow tour operator Correndon have also scrapped flights leaving for the island in the next few days.
Thomas Cook cancelled some upcoming holidays and is offering other customers full refunds should they wish to cancel their trips.
The crash involving a cargo ship and oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast is bad news for the sea, fish and air in the area. What we don’t know yet is quite how bad it will be.
That depends on a few things – but the speed of the collision, clouds of filthy black smoke from the fires and the leaked fuel are certainly worrying.
Firstly, it matters what was on board those two massive vessels.
Follow live: Jet fuel spilling into sea after tanker collision
Analytics firm Vortexa estimates the 183m-long tanker was carrying about 130,000 barrels of jet fuel (kerosene), which is now leaking into the sea.
Jet fuel is not as sticky or viscous as heavier types of oil, thankfully, so it’s less likely to clog the feathers and fur of birds and seals. It can also be broken down by natural bacteria.
But it can still poison fish and kill animals and plants on the shoreline if it makes its way into the soil there.
The Marine Conservation Society has pointed out the site in the Humber estuary is close to some protected areas and is important for seabirds and harbour porpoises.
And both ships will have been powered by a dirtier, heavier kind of oil – likely marine gas oil or heavy fuel oil, though we don’t know the details yet.
Heavy fuel oil is nasty stuff.
Pic: Bartek Smialek/PA
Cheap, thick and tar-like, it can smother animals and is very dangerous if they consume it, and is extremely difficult to clean up. Let’s hope this isn’t creeping around the North Sea already.
We don’t know how much of either the jet fuel or the oil powering the ships has leaked, or how much will be burned off in the violent fires – which themselves are ploughing black smoke and filthy air pollution into the surrounding atmosphere.
And we don’t know for sure what was on the Solong cargo ship and if, or what, will go into the sea.
Cargo ship ‘had sodium cyanide on board’
It was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide among other cargo, according to a report from maritime data provider Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
The container vessel was also transporting an unknown quantity of alcohol, said the casualty report – an assessment of incidents at sea – citing a message from the local coastguard.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, and potentially can choke or trap animals.
Many of us have seen that uncomfortable viral video of a turtle having a straw yanked out of its nose. Previous accidents on cargo ships have seen plastic Lego pieces wash up in Cornwall 25 years later.
Read more:
How UK North Sea platforms dump gas
Secondly, the impact depends on the sea and weather conditions around it.
Things like the wind and currents affect how an oil spill spreads in the sea. Scientists can draw up computer models to simulate how the oil could behave.
Thirdly, it matters how quickly this is all tackled and then cleaned up, if necessary, and if it can be.
Usually the slower the response, the worse the impact.
The coastguard has said the incident “remains ongoing” and it has started assessing the “likely counter pollution response” that will be required.
Such a response might need the help of numerous public bodies: the government environment department, the transport department, the Environment Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
So for now the best we can hope for – aside from the welfare of the people involved – is that not all the oil is spilled or burnt, that conditions are calm and that rescuers and those cleaning up can work swiftly.
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