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This page is a summary of the Respecter le Bocage Public Meeting held on October 14th at 8:30pm at the in St Sever-Calvados for those of you who either couldn't attend in person or have limited French.

In the packed Salles des Fêtes in St Sever more than two hundred members of the public attended the meeting along with several prominant political figures of both left and right-wing tendencies adding their support. They were:

Dr Frédéric Chapon (President of the Respecter Le Bocage Association) opened the meeting with a general re-cap of the Associations' aims and outlining what it had achieved in terms of gaining support and research carried out since the last Public Meeting back in March of this year.

Points Dr Chapon made:

Research: A new English Study has been published in the British Medical Journal in June 2005. The study is titled Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales. In the study records of nearly 30,00 children with cancer, including 9700 with leukaemia were assessed. Its results showed that compared to children that lived more than 600m away from high voltage power lines at the time of their birth, those who lived within 200m had a relative risk of 1.69 and those born between 200-600m had a relative risk of 1.23.

It concluded that there is an association between childhood leukaemia and the proximity of home address at birth to high voltage power lines. The study can be read in full at the British Medical Journals website www.bmj.com or directly by clicking on the Study title above.

The debate was then opened up to everyone:

Mr Cousin Member of parliament for Vire - spoke of his supporton Health and Environmental grounds. He added that the association should verify its conclusions on the increased costs implications for burying the network.

Monsieur Anfray Conseiller General - Spoke in detail about the cost implications in terms of burying the network in terms of an investment as in the long term the benefits outway the costs. He spoke of EDF being a public company and RTE being independent.

Madame Bihel Conseiller Regional - said the meeting had been well presented, that the association had researched well and worked hard..congratulations. (to which she received a round of applause).

Monsieur Andreu-Sabater Conseiller General (Canton de Vire) also added that the meeting had been well presented, apologised for not having been able to attend the meeting in March. He added that he had heard the health and environmental arguments.

One member of the public asked 'who will put the pressure on EDF, not the government?. Is their any way we can use the EU?

Another member of the public added that 'it doesn't matter whether it passes through my garden or my neighbours, its the same'.

Dr Chapon asked everyone 'What can we do?...What must we do? We've started talkingg to the Conseil and contacting others. We're interested in the media but they're not interested in us.

Dr Chapon concluded the meeting by thanking everyone for coming and asking everyone there that if they lived outside the Cantons on Percy and St Sever to ask their Mairie to contact the Association for information. In addition he asked people to speak to their elected representatives. He also asked everyone to buy the car stickers and to spread the word.

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You are on the site of Respecter Le Bocage, a non-profit making association, assembled by the inhabitants of 'Le Bocage normand'. Our association, totally independent of all movements political, religious or of pressure groups, aims to preserve the heritage, landscape, and the quality of life in 'Le bocage', in particular the menace of High-voltage power lines (400 000 volts). Our association is neither anti-nuclear or anti-EPR.

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Postal Address : Respecter Le Bocage, La Mairie, Saint Sever (Calvados), 14380, France.

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