Blaze-hit rendering plant could be back in action in just over a month
A BONEMEAL plant that was devastated in a major fire could be operational again in little more than a month.
As reported in the Echo, eight county fire crews and two from Nottinghamshire tackled the blaze at the rendering plant at Jerusalem Farm in Skellingthorpe through the night on Sunday.
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The rendering plant at Jerusalem Farm in Skellingthorpe, near Lincoln.
A loud bang was heard at the premises run by A Hughes and Son Ltd, followed by the fire late on Sunday evening.
Workers fled and the main building suffered structural and severe fire damage.
A clean-up operation is underway, replacement machinery is on order and builders have their tools at the ready. But recommissioning has to be done systematically with thorough testing – a requirement that may be added to the company's permit to operate.
David Lamping, director of claims at Retford insurance brokers Cooke and Mason Plc, said there was a degree of complex project management involved.
He said: "We are currently looking at measuring the time involved to get the factory operational again in weeks.
"It will clearly be longer than four weeks, but not much more than that."
North Kesteven District Council is monitoring the clean-up and removal of animal waste.
The authority's principal environmental health officer Janet Williams said after her initial visit earlier this week: "My main concern at this stage is the removal of raw materials on site, monitoring of the lagoons to ensure biologically rich effluent doesn't give rise to odours and eventually the plans for recommissioning the plant.
"Deliveries to the plant have been suspended and removal of materials is underway. There will also be drain down of the effluent treatment side over the next few days.
"Certainly they are looking at an extensive rebuild and refit and the abatement equipment will need to be looked at in great detail if it's planned to bring it online again."
The cause of the fire was a dust explosion. No one was hurt.
Valerie Butler, an administrative worker who lives in Wood Bank, Skellingthorpe, said odour from the plant had not been as bad in recent years at it once was.
She said: "Sometimes the smell is still pretty bad when it blows over and it would be nice if they could look at reducing odour further.
"It's terrible for the company to have this happen to them.
"But the factory being out of action has worked out quite well for us as we are having our granddaughter's wedding in a marquee in our garden this weekend."
5 Comments
by skellyman, Skellingthorpe
Friday, July 30 2010, 3:21PM
“Reading all the comments, is it possible that residents who live closest to Hughes's are possibly the least affected? Is it because all processes within the plant are heavily controlled, and therefore that's where we are least likely to be affected? I've heard Hughes's have spent millions over the years to control all emissions, foul odours, etc.The news article refers to Environment Health checking for bad odours actually at the Plant, not elsewhere.
Anon may say that people don't have to close windows, doors, to escape it, but believe me, they do. Fact. And not on just the odd occasion.
I wonder if the really disgusting, gut-wrenching stink actually doesn't come from Hughes's plant itself - its too heavily regulated for that. Is it coming from the effluent that is transported away from the plant and all its regulations and stored/injected into the slurry tanks and fields around Skelly - over a mile away from the plant? Would this help explain why some residents are clearly very heavily affected by the really disgusting, foul stink, whilst others refer simply to a smell on the odd occasion.”
by Anon, Skellingthorpe
Friday, July 30 2010, 1:22PM
“I find it quite ammusing that so many people have the opinion of 'Hughes should move on' when they've been there far longer than the majority of houses. I have lived in Skellingthorpe for around 12 years, and yes it does smell on the odd occasion, certainly much less than it did around 5 years ago, but you can cope with it. I wouldnt say people have to run inside, and close windows and doors to 'escape it'. Quite simply, you all chose to move there, so either deal with it, or move on yourself.”
by skellyman, Skellingthorpe
Friday, July 30 2010, 11:47AM
“So it looks like Environmental Health will be inspecting to see that the effluent 'doesn't give rise to odours'. You don't say. What a joke.This is Skelly for goodness sake - there's not one single type of smell but there are different smells from this place. Some you can live with, and reading these comments, some people actually seem to get used to them. But there is one particular stink - the one that's also taken from Hughes's plant and stored/injected in slurry tanks/fields around Ferry Lane - that is absolutely gut-wrenching. This has been repeatedly reported to the authorities as being so bad that residents have to close windows and doors and go inside to try to escape it. We've been subjected to the strongest, foulest, most disgusting stink that the majority of people I speak to in Skelly have ever experienced in their lives .Is there a more nauseating, foul stink than this particular one (you know which one I mean).This particular effluent has been giving rise to revolting odours for ages - and whatever actions Environment Health may have taken in the past have had no effect because we still experience this really foul, disgusting smell on a regular basis - particularly as its not just from the plant but also from the slurry tanks and field around Skelly. The question is - what will the authorities do if it DOES give rise to odours?”
by Missouri Marten, Lincoln
Friday, July 30 2010, 10:04AM
“Why should they?”
by s.smith, lincoln
Friday, July 30 2010, 9:50AM
“Why don't they take the opportunity to build a new plant somewhere further from a residential area !!!”