Castle Cement ordered to shut down kiln

Environment Agency bosses last night said a notice had been served on a cement factory for breaching dioxin emission limits at its North Wales site.  The enforcement notice was served by Environment Agency Wales on Castle Cement"s Padeswood works, near Buckley.  Limits are set as part of the agency"s permit for the installation under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations.  The notice forces the company to close down Kiln 3 until they can prove it can operate within the set limits.  "We will also be carrying out further investigation into the matter to establish the background and cause of the breaches," said a spokesman. 

"The agency considers all breaches of emission limits as serious and we have no hesitation in taking enforcement action against companies to ensure they operate within the conditions of their permit."  Castle general manager Danny Coulston said: "Because of these high results, we have voluntarily suspended operations on kiln 3 until a retest is carried out.