Protesters fight off brick crusher plans

A proposed crusher has been removed from plans for a recycling plant in the Black Country after fears were expressed that the dust could cause breathing difficulties.

Objections were made to proposals by SRS Aggregates to operate a waste transfer station and crusher at Oldfields, in Cradley Heath, the site of an old scrapyard.

The company already has permission to store recycled materials, sort scrap metals and de-pollute scrap vehicles at a site it already runs nearby, and also wanted to unload builders' skips.

Materials such as bricks would be crushed and stored for re-use or recycling.

Now the company has submitted revised plans to Sandwell Council with the crusher removed following objections by ward councillors and residents.

Andy Morris, spokesman for the company, said: "The stage we are at now isn't really a scale-down, it is a change taking on board comments by Sandwell Council.

"The recycling building will remain. The inert recycling which had the potential to create dust will now actually become scrap metal only, and there will be storage for recycled materials.

"The recycling building will remain. The inert recycling which had the potential to create dust will now actually become scrap metal only, and there will be storage for recycled materials.

"We had a meeting with the planners and rather than have concerns and issues to do with the dust with Environmental Health and planning we have revised the scheme and that has given a more favourable scheme."

Mr Morris added: "At the end of the day they are running a business and it does employ local people, they want to continue and they don't want residents complaining.

"We have got to take on board what people have said."