Lancaster fire: Questions over who will foot £900k bill

The fire in Lancaster burned for three weeks before being brought under control

Questions have been raised over who will foot the bill for fighting a huge fire at a former storage site.

The blaze at the former SupaSkips waste storage building in Lancaster started in December last year and burned for three weeks.

There are now concerns over the financial impact, with the final bill potentially totalling £900,000.

The current site owners were in administration, Lancaster City Council said.

In December, the council said it had already spent £262,000 on removing buildings to provide access to the site on Port Royal Avenue.

It said a further £650,000 would be used to move about 13,000 tonnes of rubbish which was "providing fuel".

At the latest full council meeting, Green councillor Sally Maddocks questioned whether the council could invoke proceeds of crime powers to recoup their costs, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Thousands of tonnes of compacted waste was stored at the former SupaSkips site

She asked: "Regarding Supaskips, what steps are we taking to recoup the money from our reserves used for work tackling the fire, which I agree with, and also with proceeds of crime?"

In response, council leader Phillip Black said: "We are prodding Cat Smith MP to get updates because we are still in an emergency situation. The SupaSkips site is much more manageable than it was, but is yet to be stood down."

Ms Maddocks also asked about proceeds of crime powers at the latest planning committee meeting.

Councillors there received a report on various powers in a new Local Planning Enforcement Plan.

The council does not have any direct responsibility for the site, which is privately owned.

Responsibility rests with the owners, who are currently in administration, according to recent council reports.

The Environment Agency has an ongoing investigation into activities at the site, including previous operations and waste storage.

As a result of the fire, there will be further consequences for the owners, according to a city council cabinet report in January.

Enforcement and proceeds of crime powers are linked to planning regulations and public interest issues.

If a building or land is deemed to be used in a way which breaches regulations or conditions, action can be taken.

But guidance also says many breaches are lower-level and can be resolved informally through talks.

Enforcement must be in the public interest rather than an inflexible, automatic route.

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