AFTER several months of waiting, Thurrock Council has now extended its emergency environmental service to include a link to people who have dust issues in Tilbury.

The problem of particles descending on the town from a number of sites in the area has been a longstanding one, with many hours of debate in council meetings and public discussions including debates at Tilbury Community Forum.

Last year it was promised that a new reporting line for local residents to bring incidents directly to the attention of council officers was agreed – but it's taken some months and further pressure from the Forum and its chair, Craig Austin, and health portfolio holder Cllr Mark Hooper to make it a reality.

However, at a meeting of the council's Place overview and scrutiny committee this evening, a date was set when it will 'go live' – though actually it is being routed through the council's existing 24 hour telephone reporting line.

This evening's meeting was previewed last week on Thurrock Nub News.

The council's assistant director for community protection & enforcement services, Mike Dineen, briefed members, saying the 'hot line', which has been created by Thurrock Council after discussions with Environment Agency, Port of Tilbury and Port Health, will begin operation on Tuesday, 7 April.

He confirmed that existing 24 hour reporting service personnel will take details of reported incidents and then pass on information to specialist officers who would consider what to do. Options include gathering further evidence, taking direct action, or passing on to other environment agencies.

A spokesperson for Thurrock Council said: "The hotline will enable real time tracking and action to help find and tackle the sources of dust, which we know has been a real issue for those living in Tilbury for some time.

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"It will mean that reports of dust can be made as they are happening and allow the council to reach out to all of the agencies and organisations that are responsible for monitoring and controlling emissions around Tilbury's ports and industrial sites.

"We urge residents to use the hotline to report dust nuisance, the more information gained the more that can be done to find the root cause and tackle the issue."

The calls service is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To report dust in Tilbury residents should call 01375 372468.

Tilbury's Community forum is likely to be broefed on the latest developments when it meets next Tuesday at the Tilbury Community Centre on Civic Square, starting at 7pm.

The agenda will also include a presentation by MP Jen Craft abour the recently announced £20m Historic Places cash injection from the government to be used for the benefit of local resdients.