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25
Jul
Fire forced Allerton Park treatment plant to close at a cost of £270,000
A fire at Allerton Park incinerator which shutdown part of the site cost £270,000, a report has said.
The waste treatment plant at the site near Knaresborough was closed in January after a fire caused by a lithium battery.
The plant cost £1.2 billion to build and aims to divert 320,000 tonnes of waste a year away from landfill.
An Environment Agency report into the incident on January 22, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, said the fire was in the tipping hall bays before entry to the main bunker at the site.
It added that the energy-from-waste plant was closed down for 32-and-a-half hours, leading to a cost of £270,000.
The report said that the lithium battery which caused the fire was found in a mixed-waste load.
Inside the Allerton Waste Recovery Park. Picture: North Yorkshire Council.
A monthly Allerton Park performance report seen by the Stray Ferret added that it is believed the cause was a mobility scooter battery which was delivered in the waste.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue attended the site at 4.33pm and extinguished the fire completely.
A North Yorkshire Council spokesperson said that incorrectly disposed lithium-ion batteries are a recognised, industry-wide issue.
The Stray Ferret asked the council whether the cost of the shutdown was paid for by the taxpayer or Thalia Waste Management, which operates the Allerton Park site.
A spokesperson said:
The council pays a monthly charge under the Allerton Waste Recovery Park contract. Any additional costs from the diversion of waste, resulting from the temporary unavailability of the tipping hall following the fire, were paid by the contractor.
No action was taken against the company and no damage was caused to the site, the spokesperson added.
It comes after the plant was forced to shut down for four days in August 2024 after rats damaged cables inside the control cabinet at the plant.
That incident happened between August 24, 2024, and August 28, 2024.
It meant that the mechanical treatment plant, which sorts different types of waste such as recycling, general waste and organic waste, was forced to be taken "offline" for four days while repairs were carried out.
However, the energy to waste plant was unaffected and the council said no waste was redirected to landfill as a direct result of the incident.
In addition to the plant at Allerton Park, Thalia Waste Management has other facilities in Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire and on the Isle of Wight.
The company is a subsidiary of Thalia Group, which is ultimately owned by the Spanish giant, Ferrovial.
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