Cost of Swansea tyre fire exceeds £1.5 million

The estimated cost of tackling the Swansea tyre fire that burned for 22 days in June and July has been estimated at more than £1.5 million, according to a local news report by the BBC today. The former Mettoys factory, which was illegally housing around 5,000 tonnes of shredded tyres, was completely destroyed by the blaze. It is likely that the local council will be forced to foot much of the bill, though a Swansea council spokesperson said there was an ongoing attempt to recover some of the costs from the operation.

“While occurring on private land and given the personal and environmental risks, the council had no choice but to fund the required expenditure in the first instance,” the spokesperson said. “The final cost is now being assessed but it will exceed £1.5m. While steps will be taken to recover this cost from the occupier, it’s likely there will be a significant cost to the council.

“Financial assistance from the Welsh Government is available under its emergency financial assistance scheme. If agreed, there will be a reduced funding requirement but a residual cost in excess of about £1m is likely.”

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