Cemex.. Over-confident?

Cemex over-confident tyre burning to be permanent.

Today's Rugby Advertiser, under the heading 'Firm confident tyre-burning will be resumed permanently' is more than a little over-eager, and rather premature, as first Cemex has to get its data quality assured, and then to pass it by the eagle eyes of the Rugby Residents Tyre Burning Review Group, who never miss a trick.

Among other spurious claims about the air quality improvements guaranteed to be brought to Rugby residents by the increased burning of wastes, is the false claim that protesters have "lost a high court battle" on the matter. It is true that the Judge did not withdraw the IPPC Permit (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) - see the link to the full Judgement - but he did find against the Environment Agency for serious shortcomings in their public consultation procedure. These "shortcomings" adversely affected the quality of the information given out to Rugby people at the various large public meetings in 2001/2002, allowed the red-herring of "tyre burning" to hold sway, and affected the reliability of the air quality monitoring in Rugby. Mr Edwards, champion of Rugby people, and his team of lawyers have successfully appealed against the decision of the learned Judge not to quash the permit, and the case will be heard in the Court of Appeal on Monday 6th February.

This is a massive Public Interest case that will have repercussions for environmentalists, for Environment Agency officers, for air quality and for health, all over the UK. It promises to be a thrilling court room drama.

Rugby residents are hopeful for a positive verdict, and a brighter, cleaner, plume-free environment, in which to bring up our children, and in which the whole town can thrive out from under the shadow.

The sun will shine through once again in Rugby!