11,000 illegal tyres seized in York (From York Press)

11,000 illegal tyres seized in York

5:37pm Friday 10th February 2012 in News

ENVIRONMENTAL officials have removed 11,000 tyres which were being illegally stored in a warehouse in a built-up area of York.

Officers from the Environment Agency finished clearing the site in Avenue Road in Clifton today, after four months of attempted negotiations failed to resolve the matter.

Alison Harrison, environment officer at the Agency, said: “We took the decision to remove 11,000 tyres at this warehouse, for the safety of the local environment and population. This area of York is densely populated and if the tyres had caught fire, it could have caused a serious impact in the area.

“We will continue with our investigation and plan to recover the cost of the removal from those responsible.”

The tyres were found by Agency officers who have been investigating the site for several months.

Officers were first alerted to the illegal storage last October, and asked the warehouse owner and those responsible for depositing them, to arrange their removal. An Agency spokeswoman said those responsible failed to act, and said: “The Environment Agency had no option but to step in.”

Agency officials worked with City of York Council, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, North Yorkshire Police, health oficials and the Health Protection Agency before clearing the site.

The tyres took four days in total to clear, and have now been taken to an authorised facility.