01Sep

Widnes Service Centre to the rescue

Posted on 1st September, 2014

Widnes service centreOn the 8th August we received a call from the local authority who advised us of an unidentified abandoned trailer in the Widnes area containing approximately 37,000 litres of hazardous liquid.

Always happy to help, we attended the site with Simon Walker, Environmental Quality and Improvement Principal Officer at Halton Borough Council, the Environment Agency and Cheshire Police. We inspected the load in order to try identify any of the materials on board and to confirm it was safe for transport, once we gave the all clear, we escorted the trailer to Veolia’s site at Ellesmere Port to be quarantined. Results of analysis are still pending. It is unlikely the owners of the waste will be delighted to be reunited, once the police have finished their investigation.

This load was unusual in the sheer volume and mix of chemicals. However, ‘fly-tipping’ costs local authorities millions every year, not to mention the environmental impact.