Dudley waste firm hit by fires ordered to clear site
A waste company which was hit by two severe fires has been ordered to stop operating and clear its site after losing an appeal against a ruling.
Oakham Environmental Waste and Recycling Centre, Kingswinford, will have to clear waste from its site within six weeks after its environmental permit was revoked.
Bosses at the firm today claimed two arson attacks had hampered the firm's operations, and vowed to appeal again.
The Environment Agency tabled the action against the firm after claiming there was a number of breaches including having too much waste on site, no technically competent manager and significant amounts of waste tipped outside the permit area.
Officials said waste had also been tipped and stored outside the appropriate bunkers at the site at Oak Farm.
It said the company also failed to comply with a series of enforcement notices with the lack of action resulting in a number of waste fires.
The Planning Inspectorate has now thrown out the firm's appeal against the revocation of its licence.
But the company said today it was appealing against the decision.
It claims to being punished 'unfairly' by the agency after two arson attacks at the site.
There is still burnt-out waste - but the firm aims to get it all removed in three months following an investment in new machinery.
Manager Randle Hawkins said: "We are launching an appeal - we feel we have been unfairly treated by the Environment Agency.
"We suffered two big arson attacks, we lost a lot of machinery and had a lot of burnt rubbish left in the yard.
"It is slowly being cleared, but not at the rate the agency want us to do it."
The company has operated a skip and waste transfer business at the site for 27 years. It employs 14 people. Mr Hawkins said the yard staff were qualified and competent to manage the yard.
The Environmental Permit was transferred to the company in January 2011, but since then it significantly breached certain permit conditions.
Bosses from the Environment Agency said revoking the permit takes away the operator's permission to operate.
Spokesman Jonathan Hall said: "We will not tolerate operators who continually breach the conditions of their permits, or pose unacceptable risks to the environment."
A fire at the site in February 2013 saw 100 tons of rubbish go up in flames.
There was a further fire in April 2012 where around 16,000 sq ft of recycling waste caught fire at the plant. There was also a fire at the site in April 2011.
