Dumped tyres pose fire risk

9:14am Monday 13th August 2001

THOUSANDS of tyres, dumped illegally by fly-tippers, could cause an inferno.

The warning comes after a factory boss spoke out about his fears a potentially disastrous blaze could be ignited at any time.

The call for urgent action comes after more than 2,500 tyres were dumped at the Klinger factory in less than a week.

The factory, in Edgeington Way, Sidcup, is currently empty and the site is owned by Klinger Holdings.

Des Segens, site engineer and Klinger Holdings' UK representative for the site, is desperate for something to be done to stop the fly-tippers.

He said: “This is an empty site with only daytime security, and we are already suffering from illegal entry. If this site is set alight, all hell will break loose.

“We have got a problem, which I will have to resolve by expensive disposal. But what about the next time?

“We can't afford 24-hour security. Ideally, we would like the dumpers to be caught.”

The fly-tippers are likely to have thrown the tyres over a fence from Tesco's car park, which adjoins the site.

Mr Segens, who wants the supermarket to bear the cost of removing the tyres, said he will not get them cleared up until he has reached “some sort of deal with Tesco”.

Bob Ward, gatekeeper at the Klinger site, said security guards at Tesco spotted a white van by the fence on Thursday evening and took down its registration number before it drove off.

A Tesco spokesman said: “We have increased our security to try and stop the dumping.

We are also working very closely with the police.”

The police declined to comment on the case as it could jeopardise a future operation.

A spokesman for Bromley Council said: “The dumping of tyres and other rubbish is on the increase. It is the landowner's responsibility to remove dumped rubbish from their property.

“Disposing of car tyres is a particular problem. People in the motor trade need to rely on a licensed waste disposal operator to take them away to be shredded. Every now and again the operators dump them themselves, and some of the smaller garages which do not need to dispose of tyres on a regular basis might use a 'cowboy' and give them cash in hand.”

It costs around £1 for a car tyre and £5 pounds for a big truck tyre to be taken away by a licensed carrier.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “If set on fire, tyres let off a black pungent smoke and are difficult to put out.”

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence, and the council urges the public to report any incidents to them or the police.