Cement firm must ‘clean up act’
PARISH councillors wants residents to record ‘unusual emissons’ from a cement factory after councillors warned the company that it must ‘clean up its act.’
Following a long debate at the last meeting of Waterhouses Parish Council, members agreed to create a special section on the council’s website where residents could report issues and place pictures showing the emissions from the large chimney at the Cauldon works of Lafarge Cement.
Pictures were presented at the meeting of a high plume and coloured emissions coming from the chimney.
Now the parish council is urging people to complete the form on the website with dates and times when they see problems arising. The aim is to to provide the council with data it can then present to the cement firm.
The move comes at a time when Lafarge Cement is looking at a major development in reducing its carbon footprint by investing in an additional chloride bypass and a new preprocessing plant for the storage of solid and liquid alternative fuels.
The proposals aim to facilitate the movement away from the use of coal at the Cauldon factory and instead replace these fuels with alternatives derived from solid and liquid waste.
The company has staged two consultation events regarding the proposed future development at the factory, with another planned on Thursday, September 12, prior to submitting a planning application.
Speaking at the parish council meeting, chairman of the council, Bob Turner, said: “Only this week I nearly choked and could not see over the area. I was wheezing from the dust. We need residents to report issues and then we can record it and build up data.
“We also need people to comment on the planning consultation where the company intends to use other items for fuel including plastics to get rid of coal.
“If we compile a report we could then make a formal complaint to the Environment Agency.
We have got to get improvements.
“I have been to the planning consultation and have raised questions about the tyre chips that are burnt.
The development would also bring in more lorry movements into the area.”
Councillor Edwin Wain, above, said the company had got to guarantee quality control.
He said: “The company has got to react to the problems more quickly.
“The more information we have the more power we have. The company has got to give us quality control.
“We need the management to come to a meeting with us.”
Councillor Andrew Simpson said: “The company has to clean up its act. We can’t have this going out in the air in this day and age.
“If we set up a document for people to enter their concerns we have done our job for the community.”
Councillor Paul Clews said that every incident should be reported and documented.
He said: “The company can’t seem to control what they have there at the moment.”
Councillor Mavis Simpson said: “Cars are covered in dust. You can always smell the chimney.”
Councillor David Stone raised concerns over the future items to be used as fuel.
He said: “We do not know what is in the pipeline. It could be solvents. Liquid and plastics are a new area.”
A spokesperson for Lafarge Cauldon said: “Following our last Community Liaison Committee (CLC) meeting, we agreed that a web page would be a great place for residents to raise any issues relating to the local parish. At this meeting, we discussed the plans we have in place to reduce CO2.
“Cauldon cement plant is in contact with the Environment Agency and continues to comply with its guidelines.
“We are delighted that such an online forum has been established and we welcome any opportunity to get sight of any matters that might concern our site ahead of future CLC meetings.”
To access the incident form go to Waterhouses Parish Council website page – water houses parish council. co.uk/.
At the top right of the opening page click on ‘click here to report an incident.’ The form will then appear. Once completed press submit at the bottom of the form.