Waste mountain rises up into row
A HARTLEPOOL skip hire company has come under fire from its neighbours for building up a large waste mountain.
The heap of rubbish has developed on land licensed by the Environment Agency at Thomlinson Road over the last year.
The organisation is monitoring the situation after nearby businesses complained about the visual impact and smell of the heap.
Easy Skips MD, Kevin Brough, said the criticism was unfair.
“There are companies with rubbish heaps ten times the size of us on the same estate,” he said. “We are the smallest site.
“The waste comes to our yard to be recycled and we move it out every day. But at the moment many people aren’t buying recycled materials because of the downturn. We are one of the busiest companies in Hartlepool and we are regulated by the Environment Agency.
“There isn’t a company in Hartlepool that can afford not to recycle - if they don’t, they’re losing money.”
But Tony Mills, chair of the Longhill Business Association, said: “A lot of people aren’t happy.
“The latest pile of rubbish is beyond all reasonable size. They are in business to gather skiploads from traders and send them to landfill or reclaim some of the material, not just pile it up until it becomes an eyesore.
“We have a situation that is insufferable.”
The Environment Agency said the waste mountain did not pose any risk.
A spokesperson said: “The company has a permit. We have been inspecting it regularly and working with the operator to look at the way it’s managed.
“It may be appropriate to change the terms of the permit or revoke it because of how it’s being run.”
A spokesperson for Hartlepool Council said: “We are aware of the concerns that have been expressed by businesses and residents and have been liaising closely with the Environment Agency to resolve the situation.”
Mr Brough and Andrew Benson, also from Easy Skips, were fined more than £230,000 in August after pleading guilty to illegal disposal of waste at a separate site in Hartlepool between November 2006 and March 2007.
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