Metal building structure at BCB site in Tockwith stolen

North Yorkshire Police were alerted to the suspected theft of the metal-framed building structure at the BCB site at Tockwith, between York and Harrogate, by specialist contractors carrying out a clean-up operation.

Coun John Savage, who represents Tockwith on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, has voiced his concerns about possible contamination of the metal, which could be sold on to an unsuspecting buyer.

“The legacy of BCB Environmental Management appears to linger on even now, more than three months after the blaze,” he said. “It beggars belief that a building can simply disappear, and it is a huge concern that no-one seems to know where it has been taken. The fact that chemicals were disposed of at the site could very well mean that the metal is contaminated. I would have hoped that far greater security measures would have been in place to ensure something like this could not happen. We need to find out now what has happened to the metal to make sure that there are no risks to public health.”

It follows the theft in September of four tankers containing more than 26,000 gallons of contaminated water used to fight the fire.

The tankers were being stored in a secure compound before the water was due to be treated. The thieves have yet to be found and the tracers have still not been traced.

The massive explosion at the plant on the Marston Business Park on August 11 saw teams of firefighters spend nine hours fighting the blaze which left nearby Tockwith blanketed by acrid smoke and covered in debris.

The waste management company, which had controversially planned to build an incinerator on the site, went into administration a couple of weeks after the blaze.

The Health and Safety Executive said inquiries into the cause of the fire were continuing.

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman urged anyone who had seen activity around the site over the past few days to phone them on 0845 60 60 247.