Action taken over dumped waste at recycling site

Shehnaz KhanWest Midlands
News imageBBC The image shows a yellow warehouse in the distance with a mound of brown industrial waste in front. Rubbish can also be seen piled up inside the building.BBC
Blackpole Recycling Ltd in Worcester has been served with a restriction notice

Action has been taken to stop the illegal dumping of waste on a Worcestershire industrial site, the Environment Agency (EA) says.

Inspections were carried out at Blackpole Recycling Ltd in Worcester in February, after some businesses reported waste being deposited and lorries arriving to dump rubbish at the site like a "military operation".

The EA confirmed it had served the operator with a restriction notice on Friday, which prohibits access to the site due to the risk of serious pollution.

Enforcement officers have also installed concrete blocks at the site entrance in a bid to disrupt any further illegal waste dumping.

The BBC has previously attempted to contact Blackpole Recycling Ltd.

Information obtained via an answerphone message states the firm intends to appoint an administrator.

One business owner said the courtyard at the site had laid empty since a major fire last September.

The EA said it first issued the operator with a suspension notice on 17 February, due to piles of wood and plasterboard exceeding safe limits and a failure to maintain fire breaks.

But after reports of recent vehicle activity, inspections on 23 and 25 February confirmed new waste had been brought onto the site and added into a pile of waste about 6m high, both inside and outside of the main shed.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the EA said it was committed to stopping "waste criminals".

"Working with local councils, the police force and our other partners in Worcestershire, we're committed to stopping them," they said.

Together we're pulling every lever available to us to disrupt those who profit from the harm illegal waste sites cause."

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