Two men in court over environmental offences at site of Telford fire
Two men were due to be in court with environmental offences in relation to a recycling plant which is now the site of an ongoing blaze.
Jonathon James Nicholson, of Drumman Heights, Armagh, Northern Ireland, and Mark Alexander Nicholson, of Dobbin Street, Armagh, Northern Ireland, were due to appear at Telford Magistrates Court on Monday.
The pair face a number of offences in relation to the management of Greenway Polymers, on Rock Road next to the M54 in Ketley.
These include not taking appropriate measures to prevent fires at the site and minimise the risk of pollution from them; failing to submit a fire prevention plan to the Environment Agency; keeping waste that was not permitted at the site; and failing to remove any waste that was not permitted.
It comes as firefighters continue to tackle a blaze at the site which broke out three weeks ago. They are using machinery to move mounds of waste before hosing them to ensure the fire is fully extinguished.
The air quality has been monitored by Telford & Wrekin Council since, with additional checks to nearby waterways being taken by the Environment Agency.
Public Health England has also been involved in the air quality checks, with recent results from tests around the site showing that risks to health are ‘low’.
So far no asbestos has been found at the site.
Telford & Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies said with nobody available to pay to put out the fire and clean up the site, the authority had taken the decision to contribute £200,000 and "will make every effort to recover that cost".
He added that the authority's planning department had turned down plans to extend the site, but this was overruled by a planning inspector.
Residents held a protest march in Ketley five years ago against plans by Greenway to expand the operation. But the business closed in January 2017.
It was expected to reopen after new operator Nottinghamshire-based Johnson Aggregates and Recycling Limited won permits to increase the amount of waste to be processed, along with permission for 100 lorry movements each day despite residents concerns over traffic and smells, but this has not materialised.
Six schools were closed for a day in the aftermath of the blaze, the M54 Junction 6 eastbound entry road was closed for days and tankers were being used to transport contaminated fire water from the site to prevent river pollution.
