Anger and disappointment at Environment Agency decision on tipping at Cwmrhydyceirw Quarry

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 28th Jun 2008

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, has hit out at a decision to allow the tipping of domestic waste to resume at Cwmrhydyceirw Quarry.

The Environment Agency have told local representatives that they are not in a position to refuse the application and will be issuing a permit for landfilling at Cwmrhydyceirw. They believe that they will be in a position to make a draft permit available for consultation by 23 July.

Commenting on the decision, Mr. Black said that he was angry and disappointed that the Environment Agency had come out in favour of a resumption of tipping. "The last time domestic waste was deposited in this Quarry was in the 1980s. At that time local residents suffered badly from infestations of flies, noise and nuisance from constant heavy lorry movements and appalling smells. It is also the case that nobody fully knows what was placed in the Quarry and there are strong suspicions that there are hazardous substances buried there.

"Before the new operator can start tipping he will have to dig out the existing material, re-line the quarry and put it back in place. That work has the potential to reopen the problems from the 1980s. There are also questions as to whether the re-lining work is viable and as to whether the watercourses can be protected from pollution emanating from the waste. If tipping is allowed to resume then residents will also have to suffer over twenty heavy lorries visiting the site each day. This is a residential area and there are a number of schools situated in the vicinity of the site. The dangers posed by such vehicle movements are unacceptable.

"This decision cannot be accepted by local residents or their representatives. We will be using the consultation period to argue against the granting of this permit in the strongest possible terms."