Father plans chemical bunker

Mr Mattinson fears an attack by Saddam Hussein

A father wants to protect his young family from a terrorist attack by building a chemical bunker in the garden of his new dream home.

Pop salesman Steve Mattinson, a father of four, has applied to Carmarthenshire Council for planning permission for the facility which he hopes he will never have to use.

Fearing an attack by the fallen Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein or Al Qaeda's Osama Bin Laden, he says the bunker would come complete with living and sleeping quarters, store room, toilet and its own power supply.

Mr Mattinson, who now lives in Penygroes near Ammanford, owns a 15 acre smallholding at Tumble near Llanelli where he is planning to build the house complete with its biological and chemical attack shelter.

When you get people like Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden I think you should sit down and carefully consider what these people are capable of

Steve Mattinson

"When the conflict in Iraq started the threat of chemical and biological weapons made me think of my most valuable assets and that is my family," he said.

The plans are now before the council for approval so no work has yet started and its far from certain the bunker will be given planning permission

Mr Mattinson said detailed research and plans would have to wait for that permission.

But the bunker would have to be quite large because his family would have to stay inside until the effects of the attack had dispersed.

Anderson Shelters

"It would be underground," he added.

"It would have sleeping quarters, it would have a living area, toilets and shower facilities.

"Obviously I would look into the possibility of having its own power supply and a holding tank for water."

He said he was quite prepared to spend a fair amount of money, talking in terms of £10,000 or £20,0000.

If planning permission is granted work could start within weeks.

"I'm too young to remember the last world war," he added.

"But even in this area there were Anderson Shelters and air raid bunkers.

"When you get people like Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden I think you should sit down and carefully consider what these people are capable of."