Safety fears after spate of fires

Husbands Bosworth: Villagers have voiced their concerns about the security and safety of a waste disposal facility at Pebble Hall Farm, near Husbands Bosworth, following a series of fires.

In the most recent incident, a stockpile of waste wood stored on the site was burning for several days as the fire brigade contained the fire, sending ash and smoke billowing along the Welland valley as far as Market Harborough.

As well as processing compostable and recycling waste from homes in Harborough district, the facility processes inert waste-building material for use as fuel for a proposed electricity generating plant, which is due to be built on the site.

Fears have been raised that the amount of combustible material that will be stored there, especially during a dry summer with crops growing nearby, would be at risk.

Although the facility is processing waste from Harborough district and the recent fall-out from the fires has mainly affected villages in Harborough, the actual plant is in Daventry district.

Harborough District Council environmental officers are currently assessing the situation with their colleagues in Northamptonshire and local fire officers.