Firm appeals for go ahead to rid countryside of old tyre dump (From Daily Echo)

Firm appeals for go ahead to rid countryside of old tyre dump

5:30pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Romsey By Andy Simmonds

HELP us rid the Hampshire countryside of this large eyesore.

That is the plea from bosses of the company that inherited an old tyre dump at Ashfield near Romsey last May.

Around 1.4 million old tyres were estimated to be on the site of the former Ashfield Sawmill at the time.

During the last eight months Pure8 Tyre Tech has shrunk the stock pile by almost 500,000.

But that is twice as many as the site has permission for.

Hardly any tyres have been removed from the site in the last eight years and the huge black mounds were not only unsightly but were a potential fire hazard.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service fire told Pure8 that if a blaze did break out crews would have to let it |burn itself out, and that could take months.

Now the firm is seeking a licence from the Environment Agency and permission from Hampshire’s waste bosses to set up a tyre recycling plant on the site.

Pure8 has taken out a 25-year lease and bosses have met with council officials and Environment Agency staff to push for a recycling scheme.

This will involve bringing more old tyres onto the site and preparing them for shipment to South Korea where they will be incinerated.

Pure8’s chief executive Geoff Brown said the company had entered a contract with Swansea-based PN Recycling and the deal was dependent on permission being granted.

He said Pure8 has the resources to bale and ship up to 300,000 tyres a month to South Korea but only plans to process between 10,000 and 15,000 a week at the moment.

Mr Brown said that the firm needed to process at least 60,000 tyres a month to make the site viable.

He claimed the South Korean contract could be lost if Pure8 doesn’t get approval soon.

Eight people are employed at the site and the company may take on more.

Pure8 bosses are working with Environment Agency staff to secure a permit.

Andy Croxford of the EA said: “We are working closely with the company to ensure it gets a permit to get the business on its feet.

“We are pleased that the company has already made huge strides to reduce the number of tyres at the site.”

Romsey Extra Parish Council chairman Teresa Hibberd said: “I am pleased to see a lot of the tyres have already gone.

“The site is well run and I am glad things are moving on here.”