Residents 'vindicated' as blaze hits controversial waste plant

Nearby residents were warned to stay inside and shut the windows on their properties as up to 40 firefighters battled for nine hours to contain the flames at BCB Environmental Management's site in North Yorkshire.

The blaze is the latest major setback for the company which has faced a mass of opposition to its expansion plans, and was also fined tens of thousands of pounds earlier this year for a breach of health and safety regulations.

Specialists from the Environment Agency were called in yesterday and placed a temporary dam on the nearby Fleet Beck, which is a tributary of the River Nidd, to prevent contaminated water entering the stream.

However, several fish were found dead and an Environment Agency spokeswoman confirmed that "a small amount" of contaminated water had entered the beck.

The site at Tockwith, between York and Harrogate, had been earmarked for a hugely contentious expansion costing 24m to create the first power plant of its kind in the country.

The new energy-from-waste facility would have used 60,000 tonnes of rubbish each year to generate enough electricity to run about 10,000 homes, but nearby residents voiced concerns that the technology remains unproven and maintained the operation could jeopardise public health.

A planning application was refused by North Yorkshire County Council in December, but BCB Environmental Management announced earlier this year that it was due to launch an appeal against the decision.

Coun John Savage represents Tockwith on both Harrogate Council and North Yorkshire County Council and has been a vocal critic of the scheme. He was at the scene of the fire yesterday and told how he heard a series of explosions from inside the waste management plant.

Coun Savage added: "The fire is what everyone living in the area had feared, and now it has actually happened. There have been very real concerns about the plans to expand the site to create the new power plant, and everyone living nearby now feels that these concerns have been vindicated."

Fire appliances from Wetherby, York, Knaresborough, Harrogate and Selby were called out to the blaze which started at about 4am yesterday.

The fire was eventually brought under control by 1pm, although firefighters were expected to remain at the scene overnight.

Fire investigators are expected to inspect the site this morning in an attempt to establish the cause of the blaze.

BCB Environmental Management's managing director, Phil Boardman, said: "It is too early to know what caused this fire, but we are currently co-operating with the fire and rescue service and will work closely with them and the Environment Agency in any subsequent investigation.

"Once the cause of the fire has been identified, we will assess what remedial action may be needed to ensure that all further risk of fire is minimised."

A company spokesman stressed that less than three per cent of the waste that is handled at the Tockwith facility is hazardous.

However, BCB Environmental Management was fined 40,000 in April for failing to safeguard flammable liquid that was used in an arson attack on the business.

The company pleaded guilty at Harrogate Magistrates' Court to breaching two health and safety regulations and was also told to pay 6,100 costs after admitting to illegally processing drums of volatile chemicals close to unprotected electrical equipment and forklift trucks.

The breaches came to light following an arson attack by a former employee in October 2008.