RAF Bowes Moor was a chemical warfare agent (CWA) storage site run by the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War.

[15] As the war in Europe and the Far East came to a close, more and more chemical weapons were sent to RAF Bowes Moor; in October 1945 alone, almost 2,500 tonnes (2,800 tons) of bombs were shipped in from other locations.

Experiments were conducted in the best way to dispose of the bombs, including decanting the poisonous liquid, but this method was found to be too time-consuming and also had a greater danger to the operatives carrying out the work.

[17] The process used in Germany was adopted, whereby the CWAs would be stacked up with incendiary bombs, and then tracer rounds from a Sten gun were fired into the pile, causing an explosion.

[18] In January 1946, scientists and a veterinary surgeon from Porton Down travelled to the site to oversee the burning and analyse cattle found dead that had grazed on the area.

[20] In 2007, the MoD initiated Project Cleansweep, a programme to test 14 sites with evidence of CWAs being used at that location, with Bowes Moor being one of four in the north of England.

[21] The local council welcomed the clean-up, pointing out that the Pennine Way runs "..through this poison gas factory with skull and crossbones signs, and it's really something that should be cleared up".