Deadline day looms to clear up the Flint Cross fire site

The owners of a recycling plant near Melbourn which burned for a month after a suspected arson attack have been given a deadline to clear up the site by the Environment Agency.

The enforcement notice requires all waste material remaining on the site at the Bridgefoot Quarry in Flint Cross – including ash and smouldering materials – to be removed by February 16.

If the site is not cleared by that date, the Environment Agency would ‘consider any action necessary’.

The notice also calls for site owners Akhtar Waste and Energy Development Ltd to suspend all operations at the recycling centre which means no further waste can be accepted, treated or stored until it’s deemed suitable for operation.

Air quality checks were carried out on consecutive days after the fire broke out on November 13 and again in the middle of December.

District and county councillor Peter Topping said: “I’ve had quite a lot of emails and concerns about the air quality, with a number of people with complaints about the ash affecting asthma and other conditions. People are also intrigued to learn what penalties would be put in place if the ash is not cleared in February.”

A Royston man has been rebailed until January 15 after being arrested in November.

The fire was not put out with a hose as the site is located near a drinking water supply, which would have been at risk from contamination. The fire was instead left to burn in controlled conditions.

You can access the latest updates on the Flint Cross Fire by visiting: www.scambs.gov.uk/content/bridgefoot-quarry-fire.