Building Stirling bypass next to cemetery for disease victims could release plague, top archaeologist warns
Dr Murray Cook says the burial site was used to dump virus-hit bodies in the early 17th century and he fears plans for a bypass in Stirling could see the lethal infection spread again
BUILDING a road next to a cemetery for disease victims could release the plague, an archaeogist has warned.
Dr Murray Cook said the burial site was used to dump virus-hit bodies in the early 17th century.
But he fears plans for a bypass in Stirling could see the lethal infection spread again.
In an official report to councillors, Dr Cook, right, said: “This broad location was used to dispose of the dead from a series of early 17th-century plagues which killed hundreds if not thousands of people.
“The combination of damp conditions and bodies raises the potential for excellent preservation, including any plague virus, which represents a potential biological hazard.”
More than 600 died of the plague in Stirling in 1606.
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Another outbreak hit the city in 1645.
The Black Death bubonic plague killed 50million in Europe in the 14th century.
A Stirling Council spokesman said all comments would be examined before a final decision on the road is reached.
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