Final waste cleared from Shropshire scrapyard for nature reserve project
The final lorry loads of waste are being carried away to transform a north Shropshire car breakers' yard into a nature reserve.
Work at the former Furber's car breakers yard in Whixall is being carried out by specialist firms, employed by Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
Asbestos was carefully removed, tanks of oil dismantled and drained and and buildings torn down. And earlier this year thousands of tyres were taken away.
It is part of a major project to restore habitats on and around Whixall Moss, which is internationally important for its wildlife.
Cleaning up the scrapyard, which closed recently after 50 years in business, forms part of a project to restore several areas of Fenns, Whixall, Bettisfield and Wem Mosses that has received grants from the European Union LIFE fund and Heritage Lottery Fund.
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Jan Mckelvey, conservation manager at the wildlife trust, said the next phase of work will begin next year.
She said: "The buildings have now been demolished and the site is just in the final phases of being cleared.
"There's a few more piles of tyres to go and a few more piles of scrap metal, and some material to go to landfill.
"We're hoping that by the end of the week the site will be cleared.
"The next phases will be some landscaping work but that probably won't happen until next year so we'll leave the site alone to recover from all the disturbance and we're looking at putting a small educational structure on site so that will have to go through planning and consultation.
"It gets very, very wet in the winter so we won't be doing anything until next summer when we will have another look."
The project, which also aims to restore swamp, fen, willow and alder carr wet woodland missing from the edge of the bog, will then provide homes for willow and marsh tit and rare bog wildlife.
Fore more information, visit shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/support-us/scrapyard-appeal
