Wreckage of burnt-out waste site disappears

The Environment Agency has also been alerted amid fears the metal building debris which has been taken from the former site of BCB Environmental Management in North Yorkshire could be contaminated.

CID officers from North Yorkshire Police were alerted to the suspected theft at Tockwith, between York and Harrogate, on Wednesday by specialist contractors carrying out a clean-up operation.

The revelations have provoked concerns the building has not been disposed of properly, and the metal could now be sold to an unsuspecting buyer.

Coun John Savage represents Tockwith on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, and was a vocal critic of plans to expand the site before the blaze early on August 11. Firefighter battled for nine hours to bring the fire under control.

"The legacy of BCB Environmental Management appears to linger on even now, more than three months after the blaze," Coun Savage said. "It beggars belief that a building can simply disappear, and it is a huge concern that no-one seems to know where it has been taken. The fact that chemicals were disposed of at the site could very well mean that the metal is contaminated.

"I would have hoped that far greater security measures would have been in place to ensure something like this could not happen. We need to find out now what has happened to the metal to make sure that there are no risks to public health."

The Environment Agency was called in after the blaze and a temporary dam was placed on the nearby Fleet Beck, which is a tributary of the River Nidd, to prevent contaminated water entering the stream.

Several fish were found dead, however, and the agency confirmed that "a small amount" of contaminated water had entered the beck.

A month after the fire, four tankers containing more than 26,000 gallons of contaminated water used to fight the fire were stolen. The tankers were being stored in a secure compound before the water was due to be treated.

BCB Environmental Management had drawn up plans for a 24m expansion of the site 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 electricity for about 10,000 homes, but nearby residents voiced concerns that the technology remained unproven.

A planning application was refused by the county council but BCB Environmental Management announced earlier this year that it was to appeal. The firm went into administration after the fire and was liquidated in September.

The Environment Agency confirmed that officials were liaising with specialist contractors who have been appointed by the landowners to clear the site.

A plan has been drawn up to remove the remaining waste and rubbish by December 8 and further work may be necessary to remove the former building's concrete base.