Pressure increases to scrap tyre burning

Beleaguered cement bosses are facing increasing pressure to permanently abandon controversial tyre burning trials once and for all following their latest setback.

Rugby MP Andy King met with senior Environment Agency (EA) officers last week to urge that the trials not be allowed to restart.

The trials were dramatically stopped by the EA earlier this month, after cement bosses continued burning tyres for three hours, releasing high levels of emissions into the air around Rugby, in spite of a mechanical failure with equipment.

Mr. King said he was optimistic that the EA would fulfil a promise they made to a packed public meeting last year. He told the Advertiser: "I very clearly remember a public meeting at Lawrence Sheriff School, in front of hundreds of people, where Environment Agency officers said if the trials could not be done within the prescribed limits they should be stopped. The message was clear and unambiguous and I’m now doing everything I can to ensure the Agency adhere to their pledge.

"I’m hopeful the EA will stick to its guns and not restart the trials. You get one chance with something like this. The company were absolutely sure they could maintain emissions within a safe level and they failed. That should be the end of it."

Meanwhile, the EA is still considering whether to prosecute the firm over the incident.

Officials are painstakingly investigating the circumstances of the fault and the company’s reaction to it, and are expected to continue doing so for some months.

The EA is unlikely to make a decision on whether the trials can recommence for some weeks, and has served a notice requiring new operating procedures to be developed and put in place before any restart.