THURROCK Council is setting up a dedicated hotline for Tilbury residents to report issues linked to dust pollution in the town, following years of complaints and growing health concerns.

The issue of dust from a number of sources in Tilbury has long been documented and has led to concerted calls for action from residents and the town's community forum.

Earlier this year the forum launched 'dust dashboard' to help build up a statistical analysis of the problem.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the council's Place overview and scrutiny committee meeting , Michael Dineen, assistant director for community protection and enforcement services, said the council was taking "immediate steps" to improve its response to the long-standing issue.

"My initial action was to meet with the chairman of the Tilbury Residents' Forum, alongside councillors Roy Jones and Mark Hooper," he said. "This was a constructive meeting that allowed residents to explain how they've been affected by dust for a number of years."

Following that, Mr Dineen attended a dust management meeting involving the Port Health Authority, Environment Agency, port operators, and the council's air quality officer. He confirmed that a joint site visit had already taken place and that he would meet with the Environment Agency later this month to discuss regulated sites under their jurisdiction.

In a significant move, Mr Dineen announced the creation of a new out-of-hours call-out process specifically for Tilbury dust complaints. "This service doesn't currently exist," he said, "but it will allow the council to respond immediately when required."

He also confirmed plans to speak with two companies "of concern", with further engagement to follow.

Mr Dineen revealed that a dust analysis was carried out four or five years ago prior to the opening of Tilbury2 port facility, and said he had requested the findings to be sent to him.

Discussions with public health officials are underway to determine whether a new analysis should be commissioned, given residents' belief that Tilbury2 has significantly increased dust levels.

However, the main 'offender' is a wood processing site which is outside the curtilage of the Port of Tilbury and its owners Forth Ports. It is on land owned by Anglian Water.

A spokesperson from the Port of Tilbury said: "The Port of Tilbury takes its responsibilities as a business and neighbour seriously.

"We adhere to all statutory environmental requirements and, in Tilbury2 specifically, we have all required dust suppression systems in place across the site."

Thurrock Nub News has reported on the concerns for several years, including the following report in May 2021.

Labour councillor Steve Liddiard, who represents Tilbury St Chads ward, said: "Tilbury people feel their health is being affected by the dust. If you look at the statistics, mortality is much earlier than in other parts of Thurrock — and they blame the dust from the port. Those beliefs are widespread across Tilbury."

The move comes amid renewed community pressure, with residents and campaigners calling for stronger regulation and independent testing.

Previous studies found traces of heavy metals in the dust, and campaigners argue that long-term exposure — even at low levels — could pose health risks.