£6m bill to clean up North Lincolnshire waste site
- Published
The company that ran the waste site has gone out of business
A council is facing a bill of more than £6m to clean up mounds of rubbish left on a waste site.
The company that ran the dump at a former airfield near North Killingholme in North Lincolnshire went out of business in 2016.
North Lincolnshire Council said it was applying to the government to get funding for the £6.3m clean-up cost.
Local councillor Richard Hannigan called on the companies involved "to accept their responsibility".
"North Lincolnshire Council has been trying to resolve the wider problem of the waste on Killingholme Airfield for the past four years, but those responsible for it being there have avoided dealing with the problem," he said.
"The Environment Agency who previously licensed the storage of this waste are carrying out an investigation, and taking action against those responsible."
Parish councillor Dianne Evans said she had been told the site was the biggest one in the country, and said that residents were plagued with smells and flies during the summer months.
"A lot of it is plastic, a lot of it is household waste, "she said.
"All the bags are ripping. It is absolutely disgusting."
The Environment Agency said: "We continue to carry out complex investigations into the site at North Killingholme alongside our partners such as the council and fire service, including seeking legal advice.
"The site is contained, we are satisfied it is not causing contamination, and measures have been taken to mitigate other risks."