Taxpayers face bill as scrapyard is seized

Control of a controversial scrapyard in Wolverhampton has been seized by the city council - but taxpayers may be left to foot a clean-up bill of up to £750,000.

The yard in Monmore Green contains an 18ft pile of rubbish and has sparked a string of complaints from residents and neighbouring businesses. District Judge Michael Ellery granted possession of the site to the city council during a hearing at Wolverhampton County Court.

The ruling gives the authority the power to clean up the site, which was formerly leased to skip hire firm Jones of Bilston.

Work is expected to start imminently and the council will also look to claim back any costs incurred through legal action against the previous tenants.

Council bosses had originally believed the clean-up cost could run to £150,000 but more recent estimates place the potential bill at up to £750,000.

Nick Wright, representing the council at yesterday's hearing, told the court: "We have been given a number of estimates from £250,000 to £750,000 at present."

Wolverhampton City Council spokesman Paul Brown said today: "We have now been granted possession of the site and clean-up work will begin as soon as possible."

The rubbish mound, which contains building materials, plastic sheeting and rotting wooden boxes, had once been taller than some of the neighbouring factory buildings in Monmore Road, and has been monitored by the Environment Agency following complaints.

Arsonists struck at the Monmore Road site last month and firefighters estimated that as much as 100 tons of rubbish had been dumped there.

Jones of Bilston owner Ted Alexander said last month that work had begun to clear the rubbish, but he also claimed that around a third of the mound was the result of fly-tipping by others and had nothing to do with the firm.

Mr Alexander did not attend the court hearing yesterday. A co-defendant attended the hearing but did not wish to comment about the decision.