THE Environment Agency took action yesterday against one of Herefordshire's biggest employers after it was revealed emissions, 30-times above the legal limit for metal content, have been pumped from Special Metals Wiggin Limited directly into the atmosphere.

For periods of several hours between July 20 and October 13, emissions containing nickel and chromium at levels with the 'potential to cause significant harm to the local environment' were released from the Holmer Road plant in Hereford.

An enforcement notice under the Environment Protection Act 1990 was served on the company yesterday, requiring it to improve inspection and maintenance in the shot blasting unit by December 31, or face prosecution.

A recent investigation by the agency found a contractor employed by Special Metals had incorrectly fitted bag filters, resulting in the release of the particulate matter from the plant's chimneys.

An Agency spokesperson said: "The Agency takes incidents such as these very seriously because unauthorised releases have the potential to cause significant harm to the local environment.

"We require Special Metals Wiggin Limited to make improvements to help ensure there is no repeat of these releases and will be considering further action in line with our enforcement and prosecution policy."

Special Metal's spokesperson, Alistair Glover said the company will comply with enforcement notice and had been in long discussions with the agency over improving precautions.

Contractor

He said: "The problem arose from the actions of a contractor, not by the company directly."

Tony Leakey of the Environment Agency said: "The action we are taking will hopefully ensure that this will never happen again and that the company will be encouraged to improve further in this area."

The enforcement notice comes in the same week as businesses on the neighbouring Aydon Industrial Estate on Holmer Road voiced their belief that metallic dust in the area has caused a mystery corrosion affecting dozens of cars.

A brown/orange rust has set into delivery vans and cars parked on the estate and owners have been quoted up to £3,000 to restore their paint work.

But Tony Leakey, who investigated samples of metallic dust taken from the cars after complaints by businesses, has been unable to link the corrosion with the metals being released into the air at the neighbouring Special Metals plant.

Car Dealers Wessex confirmed it has experienced difficulties over 'fallout' dust and has retained a forensic chemist to investigate and identify the contaminant, samples of which are being studied at Aston University.

Some workers at Aydon estate have linked the dust to ill-health.

In his complaint to the Environment Agency, Vince Pearce of LV Enterprises wrote: "My symptoms are a wheezing cough, heart burn and chest pains. Various people working on the industrial estate have reported very similar symptoms, thus implying that it must be connected to the incident and cannot be dismissed as a coincidence."