Environment Agency suspends skip firm's permit

2 days ago

Elliot Deady

BBC News, Essex

Customers of Bobs Skips have been visiting its site in Basildon, seeking answers, according to a worker at a neighbouring firm

Jodie Halford/BBC A blue gate in front of a waste management site. There is barbed wire at the top and the gate is padlocked shut. There is a white sign on one panel of the gate with red lettering showing the name of the firm Bobs Skips and its opening hours underneath. — Customers of Bobs Skips have been visiting its site in Basildon, seeking answers, according to a worker at a neighbouring firm

A waste management company that has left "hundreds" of skips uncollected has had its environmental permit suspended, officials have confirmed.

Customers of Bobs Skips, based in Harvey Road, Basildon, have been trying to contact the firm for weeks but have received no response, BBC News reported on Wednesday.

The Environment Agency has since confirmed it suspended a permit to manage waste at an address in Harvey Road while officers investigated a potential breach.

The BBC has contacted both Bobs Skips and Pryme Skip and Waste Management, another company based at the same address, for comment.

Customer John Lloyd said he took delivery of a skip from Bobs Skips about four weeks ago, expecting it to be collected a few days later.

"When we started to phone them up to get it collected there was just no answer. It was ringing, ringing, ringing, and then we got a busy tone," he said.

After being unable to find another company to take it away, he hoped a friend may help remove the skip.

Gemma Allen used Bobs Skips for her garden clearance in February, although the skip delivered bore the name "Pryme Skip Hire"

Gemma Allen A green skip on a driveway in front of a house. It is full of rubbish and has the words "Pryme Skip Hire" and a phone number on the side in white bold lettering. — Gemma Allen used Bobs Skips for her garden clearance in February, although the skip delivered bore the name "Pryme Skip Hire"

Bride-to-be Gemma Allen said she was left "so frustrated" by the skip left on her driveway ahead of a wedding reception at her home.

She was, however, able to find another company to remove the skip, which bore the name "Pryme Skip Hire".

When a BBC reporter visited Bobs Skips' premises on Wednesday, nobody was there but a worker at a neighbouring waste management firm said up to 12 people a day had been visiting, looking for answers.

He claimed more than 200 skips remained uncollected.

Bobs Skips is listed on Companies House as having ceased trading in 2017, but it is understood the company continued operating under new ownership in recent years.

An application to strike Pryme Skip and Waste Management from the Companies House register was made on Wednesday.

The Environment Agency said: "Specialist officers are investigating a potential breach of the permit, which was in place to ensure no activity posed a risk to the environment."

Anyone who suspects environmental pollution should contact the agency, it added.

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Hundreds of skips uncollected as firm goes silent