A recycling firm in Bolton has been fined thousands of pounds for unlawfully storing large amounts of flammable waste wood.
Armstrong’s Environmental Services Ltd in Horwich was fined 5,658.20 after pleading guilty at Bolton Magistrates’ Court to four charges of having excessive sized stacks of wood and woodchip at its site in Chorley New Road.
A solicitor representing Armstrong’s attended court last Wednesday (October 24) when magistrates imposed fines of 475 for each offence plus 3743.20 costs and a 15 victim surcharge.
In October 2010, following an application, the company was granted consent to increase the size of stacks of wood, such as chippings, in stacks no bigger than 20 metres in any direction, seven metres high and 2,500 cubic metres in volume.
As wood isflammable, the Greater Manchester Act 1981 states that the company must obtain consent from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority (GMFRA) to store the materials.
The authority can stipulate maximum sizes and volumes and apply conditions for how the wood is to be stored.
Following an inspection of the site by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) in January 2012, Armstrong’s was given a deadline to reduce the size of its stacks.
A few months later, on April 5, GMFRS inspectors discovered that there were still four stacks exceeding the permitted size.
Some were in excess of 40 metres in length and all were approximately 10 metres high with volumes varying from 4,000m3 to 25,000m3 with no adequate breaks between the stacks.
According to GMFRS, the company has been prosecuted under the 1981 Act twice before, most recently in 2008 after a fire occurred. More than 60 GMFRS fire appliances were used at an incident over the course of six days at an estimated cost of 250,000.
Limits
GMFRS is required to give consent to anyone storing flammable materials above certain limits and says it will generally give consent to the sizes requested providing there are property safety features in place. This is to ensure that if a fire occurs, firefighters can safely access the stacks to put out the fire quickly. The consent specifies stack sizes, the distance between stacks to prevent a fire spreading and measures to reduce the risk of a fire occurring.
Cassie Williams, prosecuting for GMFRA, told the court that the company had contravened the requirements numerous times over the past five years.
She said: “GMFRS has tried to work with the company over a number of years and made regular visits since 2009. The company had refused to sign an action plan presented to them in January 2012 and having been told they faced legal action refused to attend a meeting arranged with the fire service.”
Problems
David Glover, defending, told the court that the company accepted full guilt and appreciated the work of GMFRS but that the problems had arisen from difficulties with a company they supplied processed wood to.
“The company had reduced the sizes of the stacks between January and April and were continuing to do so”, he said. “The breaches were not motivated by financial gain.”
Chair of the Bench, Edith Conn, told Armstrong’s: “There was a great deal of risk to the community, a great deal of risk to the fire service and a great deal of risk to the environment.”
Geoff Harris, GMFRS’ head of protection and area manager for Bolton, said: “GMFRS gave this company every opportunity to comply with the law before resorting to enforcement action.
“The restrictions placed on them are vital to reduce the risk of fire and ensure that in the event of a fire, our firefighters are able to tackle it quickly and safely to minimise the impact on the environment, the community and their business.
“The magistrates clearly recognised the work that GMFRS has undertaken to try and work with this company before resorting to a prosecution.”
When contacted by letsrecycle.com, Armstrong Environmental Services was unavailable for comment.
Register for free to comment