AN explosion at a waste incineration plant in Leverkusen, Germany, last week, which resulted in five deaths, two others missing, presumed dead, and 30 people being injured, has sent shock waves to Westbury, where the go-ahead for a waste incineration plant was given last month.
The explosion at the German incinerator took several hours to put out and the area was covered with black smoke. Police advised local residents to stay indoors and keep their windows and doors shut. Officials said the cause of the explosion at the Chempark waste incineration site is unknown.
The BBC reported that the blast could be heard several kilometres away and police sealed off the surrounding area and closed nearby motorways. It was also reported that playgrounds in nearby neighbourhoods were closed and residents had been told to rinse fruit and vegetables from their gardens before eating.
Westbury resident, Keith Bister, said that he used to work on a chemical estate in Fawley, near Southampton, and he is not surprised at the effects of the explosion. He said, “We had a waste incinerator opposite. There were constant accidents and explosions. Some resulted in the residents of the local town being told to stay indoors. Most incidents go unreported, as did ours and Esso’s on the other side.”
He added, “The plant in Leverkusen is not in a residential area, unlike the one proposed in Westbury. Stop the plant! For the sake of people’s health. It is not just Westbury that is unsafe.”
And member of anti-incinerator campaign group WGAG, Dan Gmaj, has said that the explosion in Germany highlights the dangers of having an incinerator in close proximity to Westbury.
He said, “The devastation, injury and loss of life at the Leverkusen incident is a grim reminder of the potential impact of clustering waste sorting and incineration in such close proximity to a population of 18,000 people.
“In addition to this obvious concern, it is clear that the Hills Group’s safety record at the existing sorting plant is unsatisfactory at best and if the reports of recent unreported fires, machinery breakdowns staff concerns and shortages are correct then we can be quite that the new mantra should be ‘wrong plant, wrong place, wrong company and the wrong time!’
“Put simply, if it looks like it and smells like it, then we must call this plan out for what it truly is, there must never be a Westbury incinerator!”
