New battle looms over Brierley Hill waste mound
A waste management firm at the centre of a row over a rubbish mound in Brierley Hill faces a fresh court battle after officials claimed targets have been missed.
Environment Agency bosses today revealed they will head back to court in their legal challenge against Refuse Derived Fuel Ltd, also known as RDF.
The High Court had ordered RDF to clean up the towering pile of rubbish at the front of its Moor Street site by March 29. When the agency inspected the site, however, they claimed this target had not been reached.
Residents living nearby, including in new homes built on the former Royal Brierley Crystal site, demanded a clear-up after the waste pile once reached 40ft high around two years ago.
The Environment Agency's West Midlands manager, David Hudson, said: "Officers observed that waste and waste bales remained on the front part of the site. The injunction order made by the court in December had required this section of waste to be removed by 29 March 2013. We have considered the evidence and the terms of the December 2012 injunction, and as a result will be asking the High Court for further hearings."
The court action is the latest in a long list of moves made by the agency to have RDF clean up the site. The High Court granted an injunction last December ordering the company to completely remove all the waste from its site by July 1 this year. The section of the site visible from the main gate was to be cleared by March 29.
RDF director Robert McNaughton was also told he and the company could be punished unless they adhered by the courts' ruling.
RDF says bad weather over recent months has hampered the clean-up process. Mr McNaughton was unavailable for comment today.
