Landfill owner owed millions to creditors

The owner of a much-criticised landfill owed more than £3m to creditors when the firm entered liquidation, according to company records.

Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL), which ran Walleys Quarry in Silverdale, Staffordshire, was confirmed to have gone into liquidation on Friday.

The site has been the subject of more than a decade of complaints from residents about noxious fumes and it was issued a closure notice from the Environment Agency (EA) in November.

According to documents filed on Companies House, the firm had just over £500,000 of assets available for creditors.

Of this, £245,604 is earmarked for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and £2,728 towards employee arrears or holiday pay.

Once this was paid, the firm would still owe more than £3.4m to creditors, the document said.

This included an additional £1,589,738 owed to the HMRC, £591,993.60 to the EA and £132,097.20 to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

It also owed £43,798 to employees, £386,602 in landfill tax and £76,000 in deferred tax.

After the remaining £254,156 of assets has been used, the company would still owe creditors more than £3.2m, the records showed.

A statement issued by joint liquidators Mike Denny and Jonny Marston confirmed they were appointed on Friday.

It said it followed the closure notice issued by the EA in November and an unsuccessful appeal against it by WQL.

The liquidators also confirmed they had disclaimed any interest held by the company and that all nine employees at the landfill had "regrettably" been made redundant.

"We are supporting these employees through the process and will work with the Environment Agency and other parties as is required to support an orderly transition of the site," they said.

The EA confirmed on Wednesday that the permit for the landfill no longer existed after it was disclaimed by the liquidators.

No waste is being accepted at the site, but the agency said the gas management system was currently being looked after by a third party and there was "no immediate serious risks of pollution" or harm to human health.

"We will use the powers available to us to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to remove the risk of serious pollution, including instructing specialist contractors," it said.

"We remain committed to working alongside partners to secure a long term, stable and sustainable resolution."

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