COURT action against a building firm has now been called off after 250 drums of poisonous and flammable chemicals were safely removed from an Accrington factory site.

But Bury-based Kiely Developments Ltd still had to foot Hyndburn Borough Council's £10,500 legal bill amounted during the six months of action.

The council began proceedings in the magistrates court in October after officers became concerned that toxic chemicals were being stored on the Richmond Hill Street site near a residential area.

Kiely Developments failed to comply with a magistrates order and a High Court injunction forcing them to remove the waste by March.

They faced the final stage of a contempt of court hearing on Friday.

If the firm had not removed the waste by April 24 the court could have imposed a fine and jail sentence on the two Kiely directors. But the company cleared the waste by April 18 and paid the council's £10,500 legal costs.

Chairman of environmental services committee Coun Len Dickinson said: "The council has been supported by the courts at every hearing, vindicating their stance as acting purely in the interests of local residents' safety.

"I welcome the fact Kiely Developments have finally realised they had to remove the toxic drums and only wish that they had accepted this six months ago, reducing the danger posed by the chemicals and saving the local authority time and Kiely Developments' expensive legal costs."

No one at Kiely Developments was available for comment.

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