After yet another fire at the so-called 'Nazeing recycling centre' (the second major blaze at the site in five months), I have called for a public inquiry into this site. It is outrageous that yet again, local residents have to endure this major safety hazard and suffer all the environmental pollution that this site has wrought on the local area.

Dozens of firefighters were called to Birchwood Industrial Estate, off Hoe Lane, on Saturday afternoon. Crews remained on the scene overnight after the fire broke out in 100 tonnes of wood chippings.

In January following the last blaze which burned for several days, I wrote to the Environment Agency, saying the site is a danger to local residents.

This latest blaze only underlines what I said before, that the site is a danger to local people and the use of the site for storing wood chippings should be stopped.

The site is not suitable for such a use and it is unfair on the people who live nearby to have this potential hazard sitting on their doorsteps.

It is time that the authorities took notice of what is happening on the site, and do something immediately to ensure that such incidents cannot happen again. It is time that something is done.

The only way to do that is to impose a ban on the storage of wood chippings which have been a sitting time bomb in recent months. What we need is a full public inquiry into the site so that all the evidence can be considered.

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