No action to be taken after tyre fire in Leeds

Smoke billows out from the scene of the fire in Beeston

A tyre storage firm hit by a huge fire on Monday evening was not committing any environmental offences when the blaze started.

The fire broke out on land near rented industrial units on Garnet Road in Beeston just before 5pm.

A large number of tyres caught alight, causing a huge cloud of smoke which could be seen all over Leeds.

The Environment Agency have now visited the site and spoken with the owners of the tyre dump.

A spokesman said:

“Environment officers visited the site in question on Wednesday morning and have spoken with relevant parties and provided advice. The storage of tyres at this location appears to be compliant with the terms of an exemption registered with the Environment Agency.

“As the storage activity is exempt from the requirement for an environmental permit, the operator is not required to have an approved fire prevention plan. However, we expect operators to take appropriate steps to prevent fires from occurring.

“Our duty is to ensure environmental protection and compliance with regulations. Where offences are discovered, we will take action in accordance with our Enforcement and Sanctions guidance.

“We will continue to liaise with the relevant parties and will conduct any follow-up visits as required.

“Anybody wishing to report environmental incidents can do so on our 24-hour freephone number 0800 80 70 60.”