Firm's directors to deny charges linked to Fforestfach tyre fire

THREE people have appeared in court to face charges in relation to the Fforestfach tyre fire in June 2011.

Scott Phillips, 43, Dorothy Thomas, 59, and her husband Peter Thomas, 65, who are all directors of Globally Greener Solutions Limited, appeared at Swansea Magistrates' Court.

The trio face four charges relating to a fire which broke out at Fforestfach Industrial Estate on June 16, 2011.

The Environment Agency was left with a £200,000 bill for waste removal and another bill of £1.6 million jointly footed by the agency and Swansea Council after the blaze, which took three weeks to extinguish.

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The trio could face sentences of five years on each charge or an unlimited fine if found guilty.

Phillips, of Main Road, Bryncoch, and the Thomases, of Heol Cadifor, Penlan, indicated they will enter a not guilty plea for all four charges but will enter formal pleas at Swansea Crown Court on December 10.

The first charge alleges they deposited mixed waste and tyre waste at the site without a current waste management permit between March and November 2008.

The second charge alleges they kept controlled waste, both mixed waste and tyre waste, in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health.

They all also face two counts of contravening the requirements of an environmental permit.

One of those charges relates to between March 2008 and April 2010, the other from between April 2010 and June 2011.

Prosecutor Nicolas Jones had previously told magistrates that the prosecution case is that Phillips had arranged for around 5,000 tonnes of tyre fluff to be deposited inside one of the units at the site and that the Thomases allowed that to be done.

He said this took place without the relevant permit in place.

Mr Jones said the prosecution allege the resulting fire had caused "major disruption" to schools and businesses as well as pollution to water courses and air pollution.

He also said waste had been "unlawfully deposited".

All three defendants were given conditional bail until their next appearance at crown court.