The illegal dump, at Hampole Quarry in South Yorkshire, has been used for fly-tipping since the late 1970s and is estimated to hold between three and five million tyres. The site was awarded contaminated land status on February 18, 2003. Financial backing for the clean-up will come initially from DEFRA and will not result in any long-term spending deficit for Doncaster Council.
Agency watchdog body Tyrewatch had claimed the quarry could become an extremely hazardous source of pollution. Paul Tullett, area manager for the Environment Agency, said: “The consequences, if the main body of those tyres was to catch fire, would be disastrous for the environment. As well as significant problems with smoke, there would be the potential for major pollution of the underground water supply that could pollute nearby rivers.”
It is unclear how costly the clearing process will be, but a spokesman admitted the amount was likely to be “relatively large” given the amount of material to be dealt with. The Agency is currently assessing viable options for the disposal of the tyres, including their re-use. The vast majority of those dumped are car tyres.
The decision to classify the dump as contaminated land coincided with a fire, the cause of which is still under investigation, that broke out in a pile of around 1000 tyres on the site’s outskirts. There were fears that pollution from the burning tyres might run into nearby river Ea Beck, although latest reports state there is unlikely to have been any effect on the water course.
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