THE cost of the clean up of a huge illegal waste dump should be covered by the government, according to the leader of Knowsley Council.
In February, around 30,000 tonnes of rubbish were found languishing in a field near the M57 in Kirkby.
The scale of the site makes it one of the largest illegal dumps ever found, and presents immediate and long-term health, environmental and financial concerns. It is currently being investigated by Merseyside Police, the Environment Agency and Knowsley Council.
With the government confirming it will stump up the cash to clear sites in Wigan, Hyndburn and Sheffield, Cllr Graham Morgan, Knowsley Council leader, has told the LDRS he will urge ministers to do the same in Kirkby. A 20,000-tonne site in Oxfordshire is already being cleared at a cost to the taxpayer of more than £9m.
The amount of heavy duty rubbish discovered was described as an act of “utterly shocking and organised criminal activity” in Kirkby. Concerns were soon raised to Knowsley Council and the Environment Agency (EA) who acted to shut down the site, but not before those responsible had disappeared, taking with them the machinery and equipment used to excavate the land.
It was revealed earlier this month how three of the worst dumps in the country are to be cleaned up using public money as part of a national waste crime action plan launched by the government. Usually these costs are met by offending landowners.
A further £45m is to be given to the EA to strengthen enforcement activity. Cllr Morgan told the LDRS how he hoped this would mean greater action on issues blighting the borough.
He said: “I’ve been calling for more powers for the Environment Agency for some time, so I really welcome anything which gives them more teeth to take action when serious environmental crimes occur. In Knowsley, we have been frustrated over several years about a lack of action to tackle persistent issues at the Simonswood and Williams Brothers Industrial Estates, which is outside of Knowsley but which negatively impacts the daily lives of people in Kirkby.
The illegal waste dump
“Businesses on this estate have amassed huge piles of waste which they are not legally permitted to have, and this has caused misery for people nearby living with foul odours, dust and wondering what they are breathing in. So far, those agencies with the power to take action have been slow to do so – our residents are having to live with that.
“We have been making a lot of noise about this issue, supported by our Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley – and we know we are being heard. Just this week, the Environment Agency held a day of action at the Simonswood and Williams Brothers Estates, checking the compliance status of businesses, and I hope to see some robust actions coming out of that exercise soon. But clearly, much more still needs to be done.
“We now also have the impact of an enormous illegal waste dumping site which has been recently discovered within Knowsley’s boundaries – this is on private land and the council has no powers to clear it, nor funds to do so – but again, this is something our residents have to live with and the impacts on our local environment are not yet understood.
“These are just two examples where illegal activity is taking place and yet the process of prosecuting those responsible and cleaning up the waste is long and complex, and creates a feeling that those responsible are not feeling the full severity of the law.”
Cllr Morgan added how he would use a visit to London to press Knowsley’s case to ministers for the Kirkby dump to be cleared as a matter of urgency. He said: “I’m also encouraged to see that the government has said it will now directly fund the clean-up of some of the worst illegal waste sites in the country – of which Knowsley’s must undoubtedly be one.
“While we have not yet had confirmation that our site will be one of those, we hope that this will follow soon. I will be visiting the relevant minister when I travel down to Westminster next month and will be raising this as a matter of urgency. In the meantime, investigation work by the Environment Agency is continuing and we – alongside other agencies – are fully supporting this.
“It is essential that those responsible for this waste site must face the consequences of their appalling actions.”
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