Eleven Greenpeace volunteers today ended their occupation of Sheffield incinerator after successfully protecting the people of the city from polluting gases for three days.
Greenpeace will today challenge attempts by Sheffield Council to get an injunction to end the occupation of the city's incinerator. Five volunteers have now been camped at the top of the incinerator chimney for over 50 hours and are preventing the incinerator from burning rubbish.
Another six volunteers are still chained to machinery in the main rubbish tipping area at ground level. The application for an injunction will be heard at Leeds High Court at 10.30am this morning (Thursday) and will be opposed by a barrister acting on behalf of Greenpeace.
Blake Lee-Harwood, Head of the Toxics Campaign at Greenpeace, said:
Greenpeace volunteers entered Sheffiled incinerator to shut it down so that it could no longer create pollution. Sheffield has been identified as the worst polluting incinerator within the UK.
Eleven Greenpeace volunteers who are occupying Sheffield waste incinerator have refused to comply with a possession order from Sheffield City Council. The volunteers are arguing that the occupation is lawful and intended to prevent further breaches of pollution law. The Sheffield incinerator is the worst in England and has broken legal pollution limits 178 times in the past three years. One team, who are occupying the plant's 75-metre chimney, have just completed painting TOXIC CRIME in giant letters down the side of the smoke stack.
Five volunteers are camped on the incinerator chimney and another seven have spent the night chained to the rubbish grabbing claws and conveyor belts that feed the furnace. Greenpeace have pledged to keep the incinerator shut until Sheffield City Council agree to shut it permanently.
