Council works to ensure Immingham air is of good quality

As part of its aim to become to become as environmentally aware and proactive as possible, North East Lincolnshire Council is continuing it's work to ensure that  the air quality in Immingham is within national Government standards set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

All areas of Immingham remain within the air quality standards set out by Government, with the exception being at the junction of Kings Road and Pelham Road.  Here, North East Lincolnshire Council is consulting on an air quality action plan that aims to curb pollution at this location. 

Nathan Vear, environmental improvement manager, said: "The air quality measurements made by North East Lincolnshire Council are within the Air Quality Standards.  These standards are health-based and have been set by national government and the European Union.

"The problems that have recently happened in parts of Immingham were caused by very high winds blowing from the east. While nuisance levels of dust have been elevated of late, the air quality has remained with the Air Quality standards."

Two of the council's three real time air quality monitoring stations are set up in Immingham.  These devices are fully equipped to monitor the quality of the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Immingham Dock handles various bulk cargoes, the regulation of which is split between four regulatory bodies:

Hull and Goole Port Health Authority supervises coal on the Humber International Terminal; the Environment Agency which deals with iron ore and the two smokeless fuels manufacturing plants; North Lincolnshire Council, tackles issues associated with coal handling on the Corus site, while North East Lincolnshire Council oversees three coal storage sites and the loading and unloading of coal products within the inner dock.

Councillor Martin Vickers, portfolio holder for environment, said: "The Council has long recognised the concern of residents in Immingham about this issue, and we work closely with all enforcing authorities and the dock operator to minimise all dust emissions from the dock area.

"As a proactive authority, North East Lincolnshire Council have appointed an additional member of staff to its pollution control team with the specific intention of being able to provide a more permanent presence on the docks."