LIBERAL Democrat councillors John Beirne, Kath Brown and Joyce Taylor have cautiously welcomed news that Hays Chemicals want to refurbish their site in Sutton rather than extend it.

It follows an earlier appeal by Councillor Beirne for St Helens Council to act over the problem of smells which residents claim they have to put up with on a regular basis.

He said: "A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a number of residents because the smell was so bad that windows couldn't be opened and a lot of people felt sick. As it happened, the factory had had a spillage which was the cause of the smell but I am calling on the council to get tough because local people can no longer put up with it."

Ken Woolmer, a company spokesman for Hays Chemicals said: "I can confirm that the company are to carry out extensive modernisation refurbishments to the existing site. Basically, we will be replacing all our equipment with new, state-of-the-art machinery. The whole programme is expected to take a few years to complete and will cost several million pounds but will increase the plant's efficiency which will ensure that our workers' jobs are safe and make sure the company remains competitive well into the new millennium."

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