A COUNCILLOR from Malvern says an industrial site “makes Gullet Quarry look safe”.

District Councillor Paul Bennett visited the Cemex site in Ryall to look at the deterioration of the site and said: “The County Council expected this site to be restored and landscaped on cessation of quarrying work. Does this look landscaped? It makes Gullet Quarry look safe.

“What we have been left with here is a site that’s not been restored as was expected. It’s clear that it’s not being looked after and our environment is the loser.”

Both Cllr Bennett was joined at the site by Lib Dem PPC for the area Beverley Nielsen, who said: “When people put up signs saying ‘Danger, Quicksand, Stay Away,’ it’s clearly not restored land and it’s a real worry for local people.

“Who would have thought we’d be left with acres of dangerous quicksand in the Malvern Hills area?”

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David Goodman, aggregates operations manager for Cemex, said: “A restoration plan for Ryall is agreed and work has begun, with certain parcels of land already restored back to agriculture. Some areas of the restoration have fallen behind, but plans are in place to progress this autumn and be completed within 18 months.

“We aim for the finished restoration to be as successful as the one completed at Ripple, which has been very well received by those in the local area.

“As a business, safety is our number one priority and so signage is in place to ensure people are aware of the potential risk of entering an operational area and becoming stuck in less stable material. The area is also fenced off for additional safety, and there has been no evidence of trespass.

“We have been visited by internal safety officers, Worcestershire County Council inspectors and the Health & Safety Executive and no concerns over the lagoon area was made, and we have received no reports about fly tipping in recent years. The CEMEX team proactively attend local community liaison meetings every six months. I would therefore like to invite Cllr Paul Bennett and Cllr Beverley Nielsen to our site to discuss their concerns in more detail so we can work together to resolve them.”