Monday 31 March 2008

CONSETT ACADEMY - HILARY PUTS BOOT IN

by “Lastman”

Hilary Armstrong, MP for North West Durham, has obstructed a plan for an Academy School at Consett that has the backing of local councillors, according to an informed source. Instead, she favours an Academy sponsored by Sir Peter Vardy and Bob Murray, despite the fact that there is a great deal of local opposition to their scheme.

Last week Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools & Families, announced government approval for an Academy at Durham, sponsored by DEEP (Durham Excellence in Education Partnership) which includes Durham University and Durham County Council. DEEP has also proposed to set up two other Academies, at Consett and Stanley. The minister has confirmed that one of these will definitely go ahead, probably at Stanley.

A Westminster source has told “Cobbler” that the only reason that Consett was not included in Mr Balls’ announcement was due to representations by local MP Hilary Armstrong. She and former PM Tony Blair strongly support a rival bid for an Academy at Consett by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF) whose backers include businessman Vardy and ex-Sunderland FC chairman Murray.

Hilary Armstrong has often taken advantage of the first-class hospitality at the Stadium of Light – free of course – when she goes to watch Sunderland. In the official register of Members’ interests, under “gifts, benefits and hospitality”, Armstrong has declared: “during the 2006-07 season I attended ten football matches at the Stadium of Light, as guest of the Chairman of the club, Niall Quin. At eight of the matches I was accompanied either by my husband or my brother.” [see “Free Hospitality for Hilary” in this blog, 13th March 2008].

Saturday 29 March 2008

STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Shop assistant fined for selling beer to teenagers [Northern Echo 28th March 2008]. For full story CLICK HERE

COUNCIL PAID TOP EXECS THEY DIDN'T NEED!

by Lastman

Durham County Council has made an astonishing admission – that they employed three highly-paid senior officers they did not need. The three have left the council but have not been replaced [Northern Echo 29th March 2008]. If they didn’t need them atall, or if their jobs are now being done by more junior (ir less highly paid) staff, then why employ them in the first place?

From 2005-2007 Durham County Council employed six staff earning more than £100,000 a year. Chief Executive Mark Lloyd, paid £151,000 to £190,000, has left to join Cambridgeshire County Council at £200,000pa. As “blogger” Roger Cornwell told “Cobbler” on this weblog on 16th March, “that’s £12,389 more than the Prime Minister’s salary of £187,611!”

SOMETHING TO TELL COBBLER? E-mail to cobblers4@gmail.com
XXX

LABOUR SPLIT

[Northern Echo 27th March 2008]
LABOUR SPLIT
YOUR article (Echo, Mar 22) concerning the admissions criteria for Durham Johnston School, in Durham City, gave a flavour of the debate at County Hall two days earlier, but had one major deficiency. It failed to reveal that a one-party Labour council cabinet split in public with the deputy leader voting against the leader of the council.
I have been a councillor for almost 23 years and this is the first time ever that I have seen divisions in the ruling Labour group so graphically and publicly displayed. Yet no mention of this momentous event was in the article. If they were not already in such disarray, voting against the leader in public would surely lead to expulsion from the Labour group.
When that happens, perhaps it will be reported in your columns.
Councillor Nigel Martin, leader, Liberal Democrats, Durham County Council

SEND US YOUR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

To “Cobblesagain” and other concerned citizens – email us your confidential information to: cobblers4@gmail.com
- Cobbler's apprentice

COUNCILLORS ASK FOR WASTE MEETNG

[Northern Echo 29th March 2008]

Councillors have called on a waste management company to meet people who had contaminated compost dumped on their doorstep. Wear Valley District Council is urging Premier Waste Management to explain its handling of waste on the Todhills Landfill site to people living in nearby Newfield, County Durham. The company was ordered to bury 10,000 tonnes of compost.

Council leader Neil Stonehouse said: “The people of Newfield need answers and we hope that a meeting will provide them. Durham County Council and Premier Waste have been backward in developing a strategy for waste disposal and are way behind other areas of the country.

[see earlier WASTE stories]

Friday 28 March 2008

LABOUR BOSSES BACK DOWN

by Cobbler’s apprentice

Labour Party bosses have backed down in the face of a grass roots revolt against the compulsory imposition of women candidates, although the local party involved remains suspended.

All members of Easington Constituency Labour Party are still suspended, but the candidates they chose – 18 men and only four women, in defiance of the national rule that one in every two candidates must be a woman - are to remain in place. The 22 will now go on to contest the elections to the new Durham County Unitary Council on 1st May.

Local executive member Alan Cummings called the original decision “positive discrimination gone mad.” The regional Labour Party has appealed to the suspended Easington party members to canvass for Labour in the elections, despite being excluded from party meetings.

Thursday 27 March 2008

Academy - no chance for Emmanuel

by Cobbler's apprentice

There is no chance of Emmanuel College sponsoring a new Academy at Consett due to the strength of local opposition, says a local councillor and school governor.
In a letter to the Journal, County Councillor Bob Young says that public consultation , governors, staff and parents, have all ruled out proposals for an Academy by Emmanuel, which is co-sponsored by businessman Reg Vardy and Bob Murray, former chairman of Sunderland FC.
Cllr Young, who is a governor at Moorside School, says that governors and elected representatives at the school will not agree to the creation of an Academy unless and until they are totally satisfied that an appropriate sponsor is approved by the local community and school governors. Trade unions have also expressed their opposition and will not give any support to Emmanuel College, he says.
"In making our own assessment, we believe that the County Council in partnership with Durham University could potentially provide a workable and acceptable way forward for the introduction of an Academy in Consett, but this will have to be worked up in conjunction with ourselves and including the co-operation of existing staff at both affected schools," says Cllr Young, "We are all trying collectively to find a formula for success that will stand the test of time for the benefit of our children now and for many future generations to come."

Sunday 23 March 2008

COUNCIL CHIEF BANS "COBBLER"

by “Lastman”

Durham County Council Leader, Cllr “21 Jobs” Albert Nugent, has ordered his minions to ban all DCC employees from gaining access to this website. Council employees attempting to log onto the “Cobbler” blog now find “access denied.” If they do want to find out what is really going on at County Hall, they will have to do it from the comfort of their own homes.

This follows questions we have put to Albert, such as how much he gets paid for the eight directorships he holds, in addition to his £35,000+ council “pay.” Needless to say, Albert has signally failed to answer any of our questions – but now he won’t be able to log onto this site (at least, not from his office at County Hall).

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Question: what’s the difference between Cllr Albert Nugent, Leader of Durham County Council, and the Prime Minister of China (Chinese: 国务院总理 pinyin: guowuyuan zŏnglĭ), Wen Jiabao? Answer, very little.

1. Both run a one-party state where their respective parties have enjoyed a monopoly of power for decades;
2. Both clamp down ruthlessly on all opposition;
3. Both restrict access to the world-wide web;
4. Both are vulnerable to opposition from within their own parties.

Saturday 22 March 2008

STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

Durham County Council to spend £8,000 on car parking spaces for councillors, while telling the rest of us to “park and ride.” To read full story CLICK HERE

Councillors to claim compensation for losing their seats. To read full story CLICK HERE

Durham County Council has spent £24,000 for private investigators over two sacked employees, one of whom was suspended on full pay for a year before being dismissed. To read full story CLICK HERE

Monday 17 March 2008

Vardy woos University over Acadamy

by “Lastman”

Sir Peter Vardy, thwarted over his plans to establish one of his Academy’s at Consett in the face of local opposition, now wants to join forces with Durham University who have been promoting a rival bid.

Vardy is head of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation, which has sponsored the Trinity Academy at Thorne near Doncaster. Vardy and ex-Sunderland FC chairman Bob Murray are co-sponsors of the plan to set up an ESF Academy at Consett which has the support of former prime minister Tony Blair and North West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong, but has been strongly opposed by county councillors not least because it would involve the closure of two existing schools.

Lord Adonis, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, has said he will not impose a solution on the county. The County Council favours a bid by the Durham Excellence in Education Partnership (Deep), a consortium led by Durham University, to set up three academies.

My spies tell me that Sir Peter met with the vice chancellor of Durham University Christopher Higgins today (Monday 17th March) to discuss a “merger” between the two rival schemes. It seems that Sir Peter is determined to have an Academy in Durham, one way or another. Perhaps he realises that there is no way that Lord Adonis will accept his bid, so he has been forced to go to his rivals to join them.

COUNCILLORS GAGGED ON WASTE PROBLEMS

by “Stinky”

Members of Durham County Council have been prevented from speaking about the problems of Premier Waste, the council-owned waste disposal company that has been stopped from dumping untreated household waste at a site near Coxhoe.

Waste disposal was on the agenda at today’s (Monday 17th March) meeting of the council’s scrutiny committee, but the item was passed “on the nod” and nothing was said about Premier Waste. This is despite the fact that twice this month the BBC’s “Inside Out” television programme has highlighted problems at two waste disposal sites in the county, at Coxhoe and Newfield near Bishop Auckland. At Newfield, residents have complained of terrible smells coming from the tip and an analyst found traces of potentially lethal E.coli.

The press were present at the scrutiny committee, but at the Labour Group meeting earlier in the day Labour members were warned by the council leadership “not to raise any embarrassing questions” about Premier. As a result, nothing was said.

Question: why does the Labour leadership of the Council not want to have any open discussion about the failings of their own waste disposal company? Could it possibly be connected with the fact that Council Leader, Cllr “21 Jobs” Albert Nugent, is a director of Premier’s holding company Durham County Waste Management Co Ltd?

COUNTY WASTE DISPOSAL SHUT DOWN BY ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

By “Stinky”

Premier Waste, the Durham County Council-owned waste disposal company, has been ordered by the Environment Agency to stop dumping “compost-like” material at the Joint Stocks site near Coxhoe. This follows a BBC television programme which exposed the fact that Premier had been spreading unsuitable material on another site at Newfield near Bishop Auckland.

Newfield residents had been complaining of the awful smell from the tip, due to waste being spread that had not been properly treated. Not only did the did the process produce a terrible stink, it was also a health hazard. Two out of four samples sent for testing by the BBC showed E.coli was present, and one “far exceeded Government test levels.”

The BBC1 “Inside Out” programme, broadcast on Friday 14th March, said that more than 1,000 lorry-loads of waste had been dumped at the Coxhoe site since the end of December. Tipping cannot resume until the Environment Agency is satisfied the process is safe. The BBC also reported that Premier’s waste processing site at Thornley, the source of the “unsuitable” material, had been shut down. Premier admitted they had nowhere to spread the material it produces.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A VIDEO OF THIS ITEM


CLICK HERE TO READ THE ORIGINAL BBC REPORT

Sunday 16 March 2008

Challenge for Cllr "21 jobs" Albert Nugent

How much are you paid for your 21 jobs, Albert?

by “Lastman”

Durham County Council Leader Cllr “21 jobs” Albert Nugent, whose total remuneration directly and indirectly via the taxpayer is unknown but substantial, has failed to declare his interest as a director of Durham County Waste Management Co Ltd. DCWM is the parent company of Premier Waste Management which is responsible for the “Big Durham Stink” at Newfield waste disposal site near Bishop Auckland.

Nugent was appointed as a director of DCWM in May last year, but failed to include it when he last updated his Declaration of Interests in July. As of today (14th March) he still has not declared it.

UPDATE 5th April 2008: Albert still won't tell us what he gets paid for his directorships, but a Fredom of Information request by a friendly journalist (which took three weeks to answer) has revealed that Cllr Nugent holds three directorships as Leader of Durham County Council: County Durham Development Co., Durham County Waste Management Co., Newcastle International Airport. He doesn't get paid any extra for these three positions, but the question remains: what are the other five directorships, and how much does he get paid for them?

Albert is a busy, busy man. As well as DCWM, he is a director of seven other companies. He represents the council on at least 20 different organisations - all this in addition to being Leader of the Council. Nugent’s county council “pay” for 2006-07 was £10,521.00 basic allowance, plus £25,749.56 “special responsibility” allowance (= £37,270.56), plus travelling and subsistence expenses of £5,291.39.

A question for Albert “Twenty-One Jobs” Nugent: we know you are a busy man, but will you find time to order a full enquiry into the failure of Premier Waste Management (owned by the Council through DCWM) to comply with government regulations in its failures to properly treat and dispose of household waste, and will you make the findings public?

And when are you going to declare all eight of your directorships and how much you get paid for each of them?

PS: Twice recently some of Albert’s Labour colleagues on Durham County Council have moved a vote of no confidence in their Leader. Albert survived both attempts to remove him from office, but how much longer will he survive?

Labour branch suspended over "compulsory women" candidates

From the Northern Echo 15th March 2008

Labour candidates face deselection - “positive discrimination gone mad”

The regional Labour Party has suspended the Easington constituency over its refusal to appoint 50% “compulsory women” candidates for the upcoming local elections on 1st May this year.

Easington Labour Party is refusing to accept the national Labour dictat that half of all local candidates selected must be women, regardless of any other considerations. With only four women out of 22 candidates chosen by the local party for the Easington area, at least seven men are certain to be deselected, and it could be more.

Easington executive member Alan Cummings describes the ruling as “positive discrimination gone mad.” Leading Wear Valley Labour councillor Charlie Kay, who has twice been thwarted by Labour’s selection process, says: “why should we have half women nominations when only 30 per cent of our members are female?”

Cobbler's apprentice writes: Cllr Kay is remaining loyal to the party, but his fellow Wear Valley councillor, council chairman Eddie Murphy, has handed in his Labour party card and will fight as an Independent. He blames the “one woman” rule for his failure to be selected, and accuses North West Durham Labour MP Hilary Armstrong of having an undue influence on the selection process.

[see later story "Labour bosses back down" 28th March 2008]

New Council Chief to get £200,000 a year

From the Northern Echo 15th March 2008

“Old” councillors set up new Chief Executive appointment

Sitting Durham County Councillors have decided to advertise for a £200,000 a year chief executive to run the new Durham County unitary council that comes into being on 1st April next year, despite the fact that there is no guarantee that any of them will be members of this new body. Elections to the new council take place on 1st May this year, just a few weeks away, but the existing county councillors can’t wait.

Heading the committee that will make the appointment is Labour leader Cllr Albert Nugent, who recently survived two “no confidence” votes from his own members.

Cobbler’s apprentice writes: Yet Durham County Council has just lost the services of an excellent chief executive, Mark Lloyd, who was widely regarded as doing a good job at £160,000 a year. Lloyd has now been appointed as the new chief executive for Cambridgeshire, at £200,000 a year. He is rumoured to have left because he would have had in effect to re-apply for his own job. Has DCC been “penny wise pound foolish”? Apart from the salary, the cost of advertising and interviewing will cost many thousands of pounds.

Thursday 13 March 2008

HILARY'S HOWLERS - 1

North West Durham MP and former Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong tells how she has cherished childhood memories of helping her father Ernest Armstrong in his elections, but in one instance at least her memory is seriously at fault. Born in Sunderland in 1945, Hilary claims she remembers (at the age of nine) her father Ernest Armstrong being narrowly defeated “in the constituency she now represents.” [source: Times on Line]. A Labour man “narrowly defeated” in North West Durham – then a rock-solid Labour seat - in 1954/55? Not possible, my friends.

In the general election of 1955, Ernest WAS narrowly defeated, but not in North West Durham. It was in fact in Sunderland South (a Tory gain). Ernest was again defeated in Sunderland South in 1959, even more narrowly, but was finally elected as MP for North West Durham in 1964 with almost 70% of the votes cast. Daughter Hilary “inherited” her father’s parliamentary seat in 1987.

Free hospitality for Hilary

by Cobbler’s apprentice

North West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong isn’t slow to take advantage of the first-class hospitality at the Stadium of Light – free of course – when she goes to watch her beloved Sunderland. In the official register of Members’ interests, nder “gifts, benefits and hospitality”, Armstrong has declared: “during the 2006-07 season I attended ten football matches at the Stadium of Light, as guest of the Chairman of the club, Niall Quin. At eight of the matches I was accompanied either by my husband or my brother.”

Hilary Armstrong not only supports Sunderland, she is also a big supporter of having a Trinity Academy in Consett, despite the fact that it would involve the closure of two local secondary schools and is strongly opposed by local county councillors. The co-sponsors of the Trinity Academy are businessmen Sir Peter Vardy and Bob Murray. Vardy’s are Sunderland sponsors, and Murray is a former chairman of the club.

Only a hardened cynic would suggest that getting lavish hospitality at Sunderland games could possibly influence Ms Armstrong’s support for a Trinity Academy in her patch. There is of course no connection whatsoever between the two.

Tuesday 11 March 2008

WASTE DISPOSAL - QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

By “Stinky”

The BBC television programme “Inside Out”, screened on Friday 7th March 2008, raised a number of issues around the operation of the Parc system by Premier Waste Management, the company 85% owned by Durham County Council.

Fundamentally the programme alleges that the Parc system does not work; that it has not operated in compliance with relevant regulations; that waste material is placed on landfill sites as a supposed restoration material; and that this material does not provide nutrients that would be beneficial to soil.

The programme stated several times that material was taken to the Todhills landfill site near Newfield directly from the Thornley processing plant. Material is only sanitised when it is correctly processed. It should then be composted to mature and stabilise before being put to land. Only screened material, free from plastic and the like, can be put to land for use in restoration. The Environment Agency (EA) should insist on tests on this material to prove its value as a soil substitute before it is put to landfill.

This material, when used for restoration, is likely to be counted as landfill diversion by Durham County Council in its returns to government. Premier claim that the material placed at Todhills is simply being stored there rather than being used in restoration. This can hardly stand up to real scrutiny. Premier would have to demonstrate they had permission from the EA for this operation. This is placing waste without any environmental protection – containment, leachate and gas collection etc. There are no circumstances where the EA would allow this.

The allegations in the “Inside Out” programme are potentially very damaging to Premier, as its future strategy for growth is based on the Parc system. In addition, it raises the possibility that the County Council has misrepresented its landfill diversion
performance to government – a very serious position for the County to be in.

Questions to be answered:
1. Can Premier demonstrate beyond doubt that the Parc system has been operating throughout operated in full compliance with all its permits?
2. Can Premier demonstrate that all material processed through Parc has been properly sanitised, matured and composted before been placed in restoration schemes?
3. Can Premier guarantee that the tonnage reported as being diverted from landfill have been properly processed?
4. The programme calls into question the integrity of the Parc process and the sustainability of its business strategy. How are Premier proposing to reassure clients on the viability of its core business proposal?
5. How can Premier be trusted to deliver a sustainable waste management solution?

Monday 10 March 2008

RUBBISH FIRM'S RUBBISH CLAIMS

By Cobbler’s apprentice

Durham County Council-owned Premier Waste has “rubbished” claims in a BBC television programme that it had dumped “potentiually hazardous waste” near peoples’ homes.

The “Inside Out” programme on BBC1 on Friday 7th March featured the village of Newfield near Bishop Auckland where residents have been complaining of appalling smells coming from the nearby Todhills waste disposal site. Two out of four samples sent for testing by the BBC showed potentially lethal bacteria such as E.coli was present, and one “far exceeded Government test levels.”

Household waste is given heat treatment to render it into harmless compost-like material before being used to “cap” landfill sites. But if the temperature does not reach the required level – as alleged in the BBC programme – it could be a dangerous health hazard. The programme can be viewed online (see links below).

Dr Les Grant, Premier’s chief executive, told the Northern Echo of 8th March that the samples tested for the BBC “may well have been contaminated by e-coli after they have left the plant.” But he admitted that there had been “a bad smell” in and around Newfield, and this would continue until the site was completely capped.

Sunday 9 March 2008

BBC EXPOSES ROTTEN STINK IN DURHAM

“POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WASTE” DUMPED NEAR HOMES

The BBC has highlighted a “rotten stink” in County Durham. The BBC1 “Inside Out” programme on Friday 7th March said that the BBC “has discovered that the company which was set up to provide a green alternative to tipping rubbish in landfill sites in County Durham is dumping potentially hazardous waste yards from people’s homes.”

The company involved is Premier Waste Management, which is 85% owned by Durham County Council.

The story involves the people of Newfield near Bishop Auckland and the huge Todhills landfill site close to their homes. The stench has come from waste that has not been fully composted. Two out of four samples sent for testing by the BBC showed E.coli was present, and one “far exceeded Government test levels.”

Friday 7 March 2008

Hilary blamed for deselection

by Cobbler's apprentice

Not Hillary Clinton, but Labour MP Hilary Armstrong has been blamed by a long-serving Labour councillor for his failure to gain selection as a candidate for the new Durham Unitary Authority elections on 1st May this year.

Ms Armstrong, former Labour Chief Whip, who succeeded her father Ernest Armstrong as MP for North West Durham in 1987, is a strong supporter of Labour's policy of having a "compulsory woman" in every ward. With two candidates to be selected in each ward, at least one must be female. This has meant Labour councillors with long experience being set aside for women candidates who may have little or no experience of local government and in some cases are new to the area.

Even if the local party votes for two male candidates, as has happened in some wards, the Regional Labour Party has then imposed a woman candidate.

"Due to this rule about women candidates, they've selected a women for my ward that no-one has ever heard of," said one Labour councillor. Another Labour councillor with many years' service blames Hilary Armstrong for his failure to gain selection. "Hilary has far too much influence on what should be left with the local party," he said.

A number of Labour councillors who have not been selected are expected to stand as Independents in May.

Tuesday 4 March 2008

A stink in County Durham

by Cobbler's apprentice

A council-owned waste management company faces a claim for £10m compensation for loss of business from a private company it previously employed to recycle waste.

Premier Waste Management, part-owned by Durham County Council, is in dispute with private company Delta Reclamation Ltd. Graham Brown, Paul Bennett and Chris Grindell set up Delta in 2006 to recycle waste tyres for Premier. The two companies have been in dispute since October last year, since when, claim Delta, Premier have effectively stopped them from operating.

This followed a meeting at which Delta made allegations that some of Premier’s operations fell below required legal standards for the treatment and disposal of waste.

Following an investigation, last month (January) Premier admitted that over 400 tonnes of waste which should have been recycled had been buried on a landfill site. 70 tonnes of compost-like material for use on brownfield sites had been buried, and a further 370 tonnes had been used to cover the landfill site. Delta directors Brown and Bennett claim there have been many more breaches of regulations by Premier who deny these allegations.

Another company run by Brown and Bennett, Delta Recycling Ltd, is also claiming against Premier for £70,000 worth of unpaid work done up to the end of 2007, as well as Delta Reclamation’s claim for the loss of potential profit of half a million pounds a year for 15-20 years. In addition, they are disputing Premier’s valuation for machinery which was to be transferred from Delta to Premier. Delta value the machinery they have installed on Premier’s site at Coxhoe at £1m.

Brown and Bennett both have over fifteen years experience of the waste disposal industry. In 2005 they set up Delta Recycling to recycle household waste, and in 2006 they set up Delta Reclamation to recycle used tyres. Both companies had only one customer – Premier Waste.

At first Delta Recycling operated from a site at Walker in the Newcastle area, but after a disastrous fire there in December 2006 they moved to the Joint Stocks waste disposal site at Coxhoe, becoming tenants of Premier Waste. Delta Recycling set up their own machinery to deal with plastic and other difficult waste and turn it into material suitable for recycling/recovery. In a separate arrangement, Delta Reclamation shred waste tyres which can then be used as a drainage layer on landfill sites.

“When Premier increased its throughput of domestic waste through its aerobic digestion process at Thornley by over 60%, we realised that we would need to invest in bigger machinery,” said Brown, “up to this point, Premier had encouraged us, even to the extent of writing a letter to our bank supporting our request for further borrowings. Although we had a long-term contract with Premier for the treatment of tyres, we did not have one for the waste treatment.

“To justify our spending a further good deal of money – around £150,000 - on new machinery, we asked Premier for the long-term contract that they had been discussing with us for some time. This was for the work we had been doing for Premier, dealing with domestic waste. We already had a substantial investment in the business including overdrafts, finance and personal monies, and Premier was our only client. Instead, they suggested we set up a joint venture between the two companies, and this was still under consideration when there was a serious disagreement between us and a complete breakdown of relations.”

The disagreement occurred at a meeting at Premier’s Aykley Heads headquarters near Durham City in October last year. The meeting broke up acrimoniously after Brown alleged that some of Premier’s operations breached government regulations. “From our point of view, we were trying to help Premier by pointing out certain deficiencies, which they dismissed out of hand. It was only when we realised that Premier were in effect trying to put us out of business that we started to investigate further,” said Brown.

“The very next wagon that arrived on site to deliver waste to our plant was stopped at the gate,” said Brown, “although we were able to continue working for a few more weeks, Premier made it virtually impossible for us to run our business. In the end it seemed to everybody that the only way forward was to seek an exit strategy acceptable to both sides. So far, there has been no such agreement and we will take it all the way to a full court case if all else fails.”

In an attempt to keep their business going, the Delta Reclamation directors sought an injunction on Premier to get them to honour their agreements, but this failed. Delta was ordered to pay Premier £25,000 costs, which Brown has paid. Now Brown and his fellow-directors face the long-drawn-out process of arbitration and possible legal action. “The two Delta companies are not operating at present, but we are attempting to avoid going into administration by paying off company creditors from our own resources,” said Brown.

Dr Les Grant, Group Chief Executive of Premier Waste Management Ltd, has refused to comment on Delta’s claims.

The allegations against Premier Waste are the subject of a BBC television programme to be broadcast this Friday March 7, “Inside Out” on BBC1, 7.30pm.: “The causes of an unpleasant odour in a County Durham village” (Radio Times).