THE firm at the centre of residents' concern over its late night fires has repeated its statement that nothing untoward is going on.

However, local ward councillors have called on Thurrock Council and the Environment Agency to investigate what is happening at the Stanhope Industrial Park site of Squibb Demolition.

Over recent evenings a number of residents have reported an upturn in the number of fires on the site in the late evening and early morning and not long after midnight this morning (Tuesday, 19 January) Thurrock Nub News attended and broadcast live on Facebook as flames and smoke were visible at the scene.

We immediately asked Squibb what is happening at the site, particularly as last year when the same issue arose, the company told us there was no unauthorised burning at the site near Stanford-le-Hope where material from demolition sites across the region is brought back to be processed.

Today Operations Manager at Squibb's Wharf Road site Robert Honour again reiterated what the company is doing is legal and he denied that industrial waste was being burned.

He said: "We were burning last night as we have taken down a lot of trees to the rear of the site. We are completely legal to burn the trees as we have a permit from the Environment Agency which allows us to do so."

Asked why the smoke was dense and acrid and why the fire had to take place at 1am in the morning, Mr Honour added: "We are not burning tyres and can supply you (as we have with the Environment Agency) waste notes for tyres, wood, rubbish, scrap and concrete that leaves our yard. We have had a visit from the Environment Agency who are more than happy with what we have sent them in regards to what we send away.

"The white smoke is down to the green waste which as you could imagine is wet through."

Despite Mr Honour's statements, Stanford West councillors want more investigations into a matter that is a running sore in their ward. A joint comment by Cllrs Shane Hebb and Terry Piccolo said: "Burning fires has concerns for neighbours - from a fire safety and environmental nuisance concern, and is also controlled by enforcement agencies to reduce air quality issues in the local area.

"Burning also has impacts on local wildlife. Hence why burning is a controlled activity and needs to be permitted"

"Burning fires in the Stanhope Industrial Estate is sadly an issue which has happened before, and we previously asked Thurrock Council to investigate and work with the Environment Agency on this matter.

"We are aware that the council did perform checks with a site in the industrial site, and that the situation was being monitored for any repeated events. We are also aware that records need to be maintained in the local area which should record whether or not if a fire took place, and can be looked at by the council in the event of a repeat event".

"Given there is new footage of a fire filmed by Thurrock Nub News as recent as last night (which is helpful as it shows the issue at hand) we have again asked that the council - along with working with the Environment Agency - investigate, and that appropriate follow up is taken in the event of the site in question not having any authorised conditions in place for burning activity."