People are afraid to open their doors to the ‘toxic zone’

Residents increasingly fear living in a “toxic zone” where they have to keep their doors and windows closed.

For much of last week, the sky above Kirkby was filled with burning debris and thick black smoke that could be seen for miles around. It is the latest in a series of environmental incidents causing distress to local residents, who fear potential health implications.

This distress has now been amplified after two large-scale fires broke out on and around two different industrial estates in Knowsley, starting with one incident on Saturday 29 June.

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Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were called to Pingwood Lane in Kirkby where they found seven articulated lorries on fire. Just three days later, emergency services were called to the scene of an industrial fire at a recycling center on Wilson Road in Huyton.

As a result of both incidents, plumes of black smoke and a toxic smell plagued the area for days and affected thousands of people in Knowsley and parts of Lancashire. The environmental and health risk was serious enough to prompt three major local authorities to instruct residents to keep all windows and doors closed.

The fires are part of a wider environmental concern as residents have been complaining for over a year about foul odors emanating from industrial sites outside Kirkby.

A spokesman for Knowsley Council said: “Prior to this week’s incidents, we shared significant concerns with the relevant bodies, including the Environment Agency, about the safety and management of both fire sites.

“For some time we have had concerns about the way Williams Brothers Industrial Estate and the neighboring Simonswood Industrial Estate are being managed. And particularly the negative environmental impact this has on our residents in Kirkby – which is right next to these sites.

“In relation to the Wilson Road site, we were concerned about the volumes of waste stored and raised these concerns with the Environment Agency, who regulate the site and are in a position to take enforcement action.”

Along with Knowsley Council, local authorities in Lancashire and West Lancashire and the Environment Agency (EA) are now carrying out serious investigations into the environmental behavior of companies registered on industrial sites. In fact, the ECHO understands that the EA has already issued an enforcement notice.

While the scrutiny of these regulatory bodies is welcome, some residents are trying to keep up the pressure on authorities to punish those responsible and make a renewed commitment to improving air quality in the area.

Last week a group of residents met in The Railway pub in Kirkby to discuss the ongoing issues and try to work towards a solution. Neil Dunne is one of the organizers of the event. He said: “We seem to be living in a toxic zone where our health is being put at risk.

“The black smoke has just raised the same alarms about local pollution fears. Pollution levels in Kirkby are very worrying and lung health in Kirkby is generally poor. This creates more problems as people age.

“We are concerned that the fires and the smell are a sign that certain environmental protections are being ignored at the expense of local human health.”

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