The regulator served the notice on Twyford Recycling, based on Twyford Avenue, meaning the operator must not bring any waste of any description onto the site while the suspension remains in force.
The action followed an EA inspection on 18 June 2026, during which officers identified “several issues” linked to fire prevention measures and the potential for environmental harm.
The company has two months to appeal the decision through the Planning Inspectorate. However, the EA said the requirements of the suspension notice must still be complied with even if an appeal is lodged.
Waste tyre storage creating fire risk
Twyford Recycling Limited operates a tyre recycling plant, where end-of-life tyres are imported, deposited and treated. The processed material is then sent off-site for use in engineering projects.
However, the EA said waste tyres were being stored outside correctly constructed bays, limiting the site’s ability to tackle and extinguish a fire effectively.
Officers also found inadequate fire water provision on site, raising concerns over how any blaze could be managed.
The regulator warned that if a fire were to break out, prevailing winds could carry smoke towards the nearby A27 and into Chichester, posing risks to both human health and the environment.
Michael Turner, Area Environment Manager at the EA, said: “When we find a waste site not playing by the rules, we step in and take swift action to shut it down. That’s the case with Twyford Recycling where we’ve suspended its permit.
“We have firmly told the operator no more waste is allowed and to get rid of the risk of pollution before it blights the community and the environment.”
It also highlighted concerns that firefighting water run-off could pollute the nearby River Lavant, as well as contaminate groundwater.
As part of the suspension notice, the EA has ordered the operator to remove all loose, shredded and baled tyres from the site in order to eliminate the pollution risk.
This work must be completed by 6pm on 2 July.
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