Residents vow to fight household waste site plan

Residents worried about plans to process thousands of tonnes of waste at a site near their homes said it was "disgusting" they had not been consulted.

Lancashire County Council announced on 22 January that, from April, household waste from four East Lancashire boroughs would be processed at Envirofuel Ltd in Hapton, near Burnley.

The change is required as the council's contract to dump waste at the Whinney Hill landfill site near Altham ends in April, and arrangements needed to transfer waste to a new facility in Farington were not yet ready.

People living near the Hapton site, off Accrington Road, claimed they were not consulted and were unhappy at the decision.

Tracey Burrows' house backs on to the Envirofuel site near Valley Gardens.

She is upset by the council's decision and told BBC Radio Lancashire: "This was meant to be our forever home but now it might not be... it's quite heartbreaking to be honest.

"I just thought there'd be more consultation because the company have been really good with the road, they've spoken to us and wrote to us.

"This has come completely out of the blue and I just think there could have been a meeting."

Gail Hamer, who has lived in Valley Gardens for 14 years, is also angry with Lancashire County Council.

"It's ridiculous what's gone on - why could they not come and talk to us? We're not unreasonable people.

"It's just disgusting, because we are nobodies," she said.

Denise Greenwood's house faces the site.

She said she was concerned the waste would attract vermin.

"Why can't they put the waste disposal where it's not a built-up area like this?

"We will need to stick together and fight as much as we can."

Lancashire County Council said Envirofuel had been awarded a two-year contract to take waste that would otherwise need to be taken to the local authority's Farington site.

It said this would have meant longer journeys, higher transport costs for district councils and more of an impact on the environment.

The council said the Envirofuel site currently accepted more than 100,000 tonnes of waste a year from as far afield as Cambridge, Newcastle, Carlisle and Birmingham.

Burnley Borough Council said it was not consulted about the awarding of the contract.

Councillor Howard Baker, executive member for community and environmental services said: "I think I can speak on behalf of all members of Burnley Borough Council when I say that we are not happy with this decision."

Councillor Joshua Roberts, cabinet member for rural affairs, environment and communities at Lancashire County Council, said: "We would like to reassure Lancashire's residents that we are ready for the contract with Suez UK Ltd - for the use of Whinney Hill landfill site - to come to an end as planned.

"The costs of using the Envirofuel's site are significantly lower as well as being much better for the environment than landfill."

He explained that Envirofuel, which processes waste into fuel for cement kilns, has been operating at its site for 25 years.

Roberts added: "We will continue to monitor the site closely to make sure everything operates within the rules."

The BBC has approached Envirofuel for comment.

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