HUGE heaps of rubble produced by the demolition of Worcester's Ronkswood Hospital have caused anger among villagers in Wadborough, near Pershore.

Crushed brick and concrete from the Ronkswood site is being carried to Crabbe Yard, in the village, by a "constant stream" of lorries from 6am, subjecting nearby residents to dust and noise.

Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff said the pile was a blot on the landscape and towering mountains of rubble were desecrating a corner of rural Worcestershire.

He added Wychavon District Council was tearing its hair out at the failure of other enforcement bodies to control the menace.

As the planning authority, the council is drafting an enforcement notice to address the change of use of Crabbe Yard from its permitted use as a builder's yard.

District councillor Paul Middleborough said the situation was "absolutely ghastly" for residents living along the roads used by the lorries taking the material there.

"It's a constant stream of vehicles from 6am and the noise and mess is murder for residents," he said.

"Besides the dust and noise it makes, it looks horrid and is a huge volume of rubble for the size and location of the yard."

Contractor

But the demolition contractor for the old hospital said only recyclable material was being taken away from the Ronkswood site and it would not be dumped.

"We recycle 95 per cent of what we reduce," said Neil Swinburne, of Controlled Demolition Group.

"Inert materials such as concrete and brick are crushed to 75mm or less on site, to produce a standard granular material that can be used in any building development.

"There are a number of sub-contractors taking away the crushed material, but we have waste transfer certificates so that we know where it is all going.

"It will be in a waste transfer yard until it can be used somewhere else, but it won't be dumped, because it's a useful commodity that can be sold for between £4 and £8 per tonne."

Worcestershire County Council and the Environment Agency are both aware of the operation at Crabbe Yard and said nothing illegal was taking place.

Agency spokesman Lyn Fraley said Crabbe Yard was a builder's yard and did not have a waste management licence, but the storing of crushed stone to be used in building was appropriate for a builder's yard.

"As far as we are aware there is no environmental impact," she said.