Brierley Hill rubbish mound fear for workers

A firm at the centre of a row over a towering rubbish mound claim employees' lives would have been at risk under proposals to reduce the waste, a court heard.

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Ltd is complying with a High Court order to lower the pile – once 40ft high, at its plant in Moor Street, Brierley Hill.

But the firm today said it had consulted health and safety experts who said it would not have been safe to put machinery onto the top of the pile.

RDF Ltd had lodged an appeal against a notice served by the Environment Agency requiring the removal of waste and baled waste from areas alleged not to be within the permitted area.

The appeal went before Dudley Magistrates Court yesterday with the case adjourned until after a High Court hearing in October.

A progress report including measurements of the pile will be made at the October hearing. A decision on whether the appeals process will continue will be taken after this date.

Mr Michael Davies, representing RDF, told the court: "The company would not have put lives at risk and wanted to ensure it (the rubbish pile) was handled in the correct and proper way."

He claimed the stockpile of rubbish had been there before RDF took over the site around two years ago.