Lib Dems call for tighter control in 'last minute' DEFRA

Baroness Sue Miller, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson has called a debate in the House of Lords to highlight the serious incompetence of the Government in implementing the 1999 Landfill Directive.

Baroness Miller will reveal that an abandoned car mountain of a scale that would rival the fridge mountain has been narrowly averted after crisis talks between the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) and DEFRA late yesterday.

The failure of DEFRA to be clear regarding the implementation of the Landfill Directive could have brought the processing of end-of-life vehicles to a complete standstill, leaving 45,000 vehicles a week to be dumped.

Commenting, Baroness Miller said:

"In order to avert the prospect of 45,000 thousand cars per week blocking our roads, last minute panic measures by Government have abandoned regulation of the residue waste.

"This is no way to deal with a serious waste issue. The Government has had 5 years to prepare for these new rules and has completely failed to do so.

"DEFRA must urgently review its procedures to ensure that important guidance for businesses and industry is not late or confused again."