Syrian Chemicals To Be Destoryed in Ellesmere Port

16 January 2014, 17:33 | Updated: 16 January 2014, 17:36

Veolia Environment confirm to Heart that 150 tonnes of chemicals will be destroyed in Cheshire.

In a statement to Heart, the company have confirmed that they're working with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to destroy 150 tonnes of 'B precursor' chemicals from Syria.

They say that the consignment, which are not 'Chemical Weapons', but are chemicals that are used routinely in the pharmaceutical industry in the UK and will be "safely treated at Veolia’s Ellesmere Port High Temperature Incineration facility under its existing hazardous waste treatment contract with the Disposal Services Authority (DSA), part of the Ministry of Defence."

The company say that: "It is important to make clear these are industrial-grade chemicals as opposed to chemical weapons."

Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia Environnement Executive Vice-President, UK & Northern Europe, said:  “We are pleased to have been selected by the British Government to support this important initiative which will see our Ellesmere Port facility directly involved at the start of the implementation of the international mission to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons programme.   

“We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and relevant UK authorities to ensure the safe destruction of these chemicals in line with our high environmental, health, safety and operating standards.”