Scrap yard shut down due to pollution issues
A scrapyard near Chirk has been shut down for polluting the environment after continually failing to comply with the terms of its permit.
The premises, managed by Clwyd Breakers on the Gardden Industrial Estate in Ruabon, had been given warnings from Natural Resources Wales, regarding oil pollution and storage at the site.
However officers have now taken the decision to revoke the scrap yard's licence after no action was taken, and the site has been cleared.
A decision was made after officers found oil pollution on parts of the site, with oil and fluids not being stored properly, as well as cars not being de-polluted correctly.
Other findings included the scrapyard not having a fire prevention plan, and waste being stored in the wrong places.
Some oils and other polluting fluids were being washed into drains which eventually flow via the Afon Goch and Black Brook into the Afon Clywedog and the Dee, threatening fish and the other wildlife which live there.
Protecting
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service had also visited the site to advise the operators and had flagged the site with local fire crews.
Louise Peel, Senior Environment Officer for NRW, said: “We’ve worked really hard with the company to get them to operate the site responsibly. But is became clear that they were making very little effort to do so.
“The good news is that the site has now been cleared and it no longer poses a threat.
“Protecting people and the environment from pollution risks such as this one is a priority for us and this is a good example of how we take action to do that where it’s needed.
“Everyone in the waste industry needs to understand that they must comply with the terms of their environmental permit.
“Not doing so is breaking the law and has potentially serious consequences for them and their business."
In the meantime, NRW has begun an investigation into another suspected illegal waste site in the area and potential links to the cleared site on Gardden Industrial Estate.
