Express & Star

Brierley Hill rubbish mountain: Environment Agency bosses 'should pay for removal'

Calls have been made for the Environment Agency to pay for the removal of a tower of rubbish which has caused a nightmare for nearby residents.

Published

Planning permission has been granted for 94 flats on the former Refuse Derived Fuel site in Moor Street, Brierley Hill, where the rubbish sits, but the scheme has been thrown into doubt after it emerged the owners of the site had not been able to attract a developer due to the costs involved with clearing the waste.

Neighbours had been told that their six-year nightmare living in the shadow of the 19ft heap was over when the plans were approved in June but the saga looks set to continue.

Five months on, the pile of rubbish – which is made up of bricks, wood and plastic and led to a company director being jailed – remains.

It is believed any developer getting on board with the plans would have to part with at least £1 million just to clear the site.

Brierley Hill councillor Rachel Harris, who has led the campaign to have the rubbish shifted, said she cannot see any developer being willing to agree to do that and says it should be the responsibility of the Environment Agency to clear up and bring the impasse to an end.

The agency had been in the process of seizing assets from former Refuse Derived Fuel director Robert McNaughton, who served a jail term for failing to comply with a court order to clear the site, which then would have been used to shift the waste. However, the company has now gone into liquidation.

Councillor Harris said: "People should not have to put up with it, especially as it has been to court. The Environment Agency has to find a solution. They should be getting back to the owners and getting something done."

The Environment Agency suggested it would not pay to have the site cleared but said it was 'exploring every avenue' over the site.

Spokeswoman Harriet Templar-Vasey said: "In most cases the Environment Agency will not use public funds to pay for the clear up of the waste unless there is serious risk to people or the environment. With this site we are continuing to explore every possible avenue to get it cleared and are committed to ensure this happens."

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.