Amanda Milling, Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase, calls on the government to review laws in light of the fire at an illegal waste site in Slitting Mill, Rugeley.
At Home Office Questions this week, Amanda Milling MP raised the issue of the fire at Oak Tree Farm directly with the Fire Minister, Brandon Lewis MP, citing the weeks of distress it caused local residents as well as the significant financial burden it has put on Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. She is calling on the government to review laws to tackle the illegal dumping of waste and the financial penalties faced by operators to cover the cost of the Fire Service having to control fires such as these.
The Slitting Mill fire saw over 1,000 tonnes of illegal waste burn and the volume of the waste was so large that it took Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service almost three weeks to contain the fire, which is still smouldering today, even after the fire was capped, following the discovery of asbestos. Over recent weeks the Cannock Chase MP has been closely monitoring the stack and has been in regular contact with the Fire Service when she has seen first hand or has had reports of smoke being emitted. The costs incurred by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue have continued as they have to closely monitor and manage the fire.
Amanda said: "The fire caused major distress for local residents and we must do everything we can to ensure incidents like this don't happen again. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have had to spend significant sums of money fighting, containing and capping the fire as well as continuing to monitor and manage the stack. These are costs that the operators of illegal waste sites should be liable for, not the taxpayer. I think that everyone who lives in the area and was affected by the fire would agree we need to prevent incidents such as these as well as the cost to the public purse. I am looking to discuss with Ministers how we can change the law to better protect the public and enhance the powers of enforcement agencies.”
A high court interim injunction order was served on Denis Ward and Steven Reeves-Morgan, who had been bringing waste onto the site unlawfully. The order means they must not bring waste onto the site, not recycle or burn any waste or disturb the waste which is currently burning. In addition, they cannot remove any waste unless it is being taken to an authorised site. Any breach of the order could result in a fine, assets being seized or imprisonment. A full order can be made after a trial, which should take place in early 2017.
Amanda added: "I welcome news that Staffordshire County Council have secured a high court interim injunction order as we need to ensure the site operators are brought to justice. But we need to make sure the law is reviewed in order to prevent incidents such as these as well as ensuring the costs incurred by the fire service and other public bodies can be recovered from the perpetrators. I will therefore be raising with the Fire Minister the changes required to protect the Fire Service from such significant costs."