The application was heard this morning at Leeds High Court and instructs Greenpeace to stop supporting the action and allows the council to take action against Greenpeace itself as well as the protesters.
Greenpeace is campaigning to shut what it calls the “worst” incinerator in England and has demanded its closure before agreeing to leave the site, which it has occupied since Tuesday. Five Greenpeace volunteers have been camped at the top of the incinerator chimney and are preventing the incinerator from burning rubbish. Another six volunteers are chained to machinery in the main rubbish tipping area at ground level.
The judge said that Greenpeace's evidence had no merits, which means that he feels that Greenpeace will not be able to provide evidence to change this decision, and has therefore awarded costs to the Council.
Sheffield City Council said it will do all that it can to bring this illegal protest to a swift end, so that services can be restored as soon as possible.
Sheffield City Council deals with 55-60% of the city’s 225-230,000 tonnes of rubbish each year in the incinerator. The new 1.3 billion Onyx contract for Sheffield which starts on August 1 includes a new energy from waste plant. The council has said that if the incinerator was closed it would cost Sheffield residents more than 11 million a year as more landfill sites would have to be used.
Sheffield City Council also intends to sue Greenpeace for 250,000 in damages following the occupation, which the council estimates is the cost of Greenpeace’s actions so far. This includes damage repair, security and daily costs of 40,000 to keep the incinerator closed.
Vital services
Bob Kerslake, chief executive of Sheffield City Council said: “We utterly condemn the unlawful action of the Greenpeace protestors. They are putting vital services at risk. We completely refute their argument that incineration is more dangerous than any other form of waste disposal. It is significantly better for the environment than the alternative of landfill. In addition to waste disposal the incinerator provides environmentally friendly heat and power to Sheffield. Sheffield City Council considers the actions of the Greenpeace protesters to be utterly irresponsible and damaging.”
He added: “The action effects vital council services. The council will take whatever action is necessary to deal with it, and will recover the costs.”
Blake Lee-Harwood, head of the toxics campaign at Greenpeace, said: “As far as we are concerned our occupation is entirely lawful. Sheffield incinerator is the worst in Britain and has broken legal pollution limits 178 times in the past three years.
“We are taking action to end this appalling criminal record and to stop the incinerator from dumping hundreds of tonnes of poisonous gases on the people of Sheffield. We are effectively making a citizen's arrest of a repeat offender and want to see this incinerator shut for good.”
Earlier this week the council has obtained a Possession Order against the protesters, which meant that the protesters had to leave the site, but they refused to do so.
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