WREXHAM council is seeking reassurance over the safety of the Hafod Quarry Landfill site.

The Leader previously reported that fire crews were called to a large blaze at the landfill site in Johnstown on May 27.

Nearby residents were asked to keep their windows and doors closed until it was safe to do so as huge billows of smoke could be seen for miles.

Residents expressed their concerns over the safety of the site and an investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched.

Wrexham Council has no ‘financial or commercial’ interest in the site which is privately owned and regulated by Natural Resources Wales.

However, the council has a duty to all residents to protect their health and well-being when ‘incidents such as this happens’.

As a result, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, Cllr David A Bithell, has written to the Welsh Government Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, to seek assurances about the safety of the Hafod Quarry Landfill site and what actions or investigations Welsh Government will be undertaking before it is re-opened for future use.

He said: “Many residents in the surrounding communities have raised significant concerns about the future safety of the site and are concerned for the well-being of their families and loved ones with the threat of further fire outbreaks at the Hafod site.

“For a number of years Wrexham has successfully introduced waste processing measures that result in only a tiny fraction of our waste (asbestos products in the main) being sent to landfill, and this at a specialist processing facility. Wrexham CBC landfilled 339.29 tonnes last year which was 0.4% of our total overall waste collected of 88,527 tonnes with no waste disposed at Hafod landfill.

“Like many authorities across Wales we are managing waste processing largely without the need for landfill treatments, yet we have a local landfill only metres away from some of our densely populated urban communities. Can I ask for some details of the waste arisings deposited in Hafod over the last 3 month period and also their source.

“ I am sure the Minister will share with me the concerns about the future viability of the site and I look forward to Welsh Government investigations and conclusions prior to the site being permitted to accept further waste for treatment without understanding and implementing appropriate mitigations.”