A TILBURY councillor has called on residents to log their concerns on Thurrock Council's Dust line if they are affected by what he describes as 'alarming' levels of dust rising from industrial sites close to the town.

Cllr Bailey Scott says he has been contacted by residents this morning (Friday, 31 July), about the clouds of dust drifting over the town from sites to the east of residential area. He visited the area and has taken photographs of the dust.

The principal offender appears to be the Seras recycling plant which is outside the curtilage of the Tilbury2 docks site, but as it is difficult to locate the actual source or sources by eyeline, Cllr Scott says calls to the Dustline should trigger a site visit across the whole area by environmental enforcement teams.

After many delays and false promises from the council, its dustline eventually went live in April. There has been scepticism that it is neither an effective deterrent or a practical way to monitor dust, but Cllr Scott says today's levels of dust will put that to the test.

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

When the line was launched a council spokesperson 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."

Thurrock Nub News has been reporting on dust issues for many years, and in early 2025 published this report, including video footage, highlighting the need for action: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/how-dust-dashboard-can-be-pivotal-in-fight-for-a-better-environment-in-tilbury-260112?fbclid=IwY2xjawTZXcJwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR61b5YTPGniPsMFdLlXra54VXzEQE67A3agcP_4jfBkgEDMkTinvIbCNEUHJA_aem_HUwTAQDNzIstPDil21seMQ