Hazardous products storage plan by Rugeley firm

A company which makes animal food has applied to prepare and store environmentally hazardous products at its site in Staffordshire.

Premier Nutrition has submitted a planning application to Cannock Chase Council to store hundreds of tons of substances classed as 'dangerous for the environment' at Levels Industrial Estate in Rugeley.

Residents are concerned about the proposals. Copper, zinc and manganese compounds would be among 349.5 tons of material Premier Nutrition wants to store.

County councillor Ray Easton today spoke out against the proposals, which follow a rejected planning application from another company to store asbestos at the site.

Councillor Easton said the industrial estate was next door to a residential area.

"Premier Nutrition is a valuable firm to use around here due to employment, but even so we can't allow something to come into our area that will endanger the lives of people living here. It would be wrong of me or anyone else to agree to it," he said.

"I don't think the local people around here will like knowing that it could be coming here and I think they will be up in arms about it if it does go ahead."

Tom Harris, compliance manager at the company, said that it was because of a growing market that they needed to store large quantities of ingredients to meet demand.

He added: "A small number of these ingredients are rated as environmentally hazardous. We take this responsibility seriously and follow strict management processes. We have invested heavily in the site and have designed the plant to protect the environment in the unlikely event of any problems with these materials."

He added: "We are regulated by a number of government and industry bodies and we have an environmentally permitted site with an environmental management accreditation system."

The date currently set for the decision to be made is August 13.

By Claire Fry