Sensational revelations about the scale and nature of the global landmine problem - especially the supposedly indefinite lifespan of the threat - do not take account of one vital factor: time. Colin King addresses the issue. In the mid-1980s - well before the term 'humanitarian demining' was coined -the British Army was struggling with mines left in the aftermath of the Falklands War. Steel-cased anti-tank mines were visible on the tidal beaches of Yorke Bay, but the salt water soon rendered them incapable of being defuzed safely. Meanwhile, a number of plastic mines were found to have split open, probably through the action of the extreme weather.
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