TRAFFIC AT STYROPACK

A small number of complaints have been lodged with the Rishton Councillors regarding queued up lorries on Parker Street as they make deliveries to and from the Styropack warehouse at the end of the street. Cllr Ken Moss has visited the site to speak to manager Mark Poulton and raise concerns on behalf of residents.

Mr Pouton said, "We had a problem one Monday morning earlier this month when one delivery firm had a problem which created a knock-on effect for other drivers. Christmas is our busiest period with boiler packaging and fish boxes being a large part of our business but generally speaking there have been no other problems with deliveries and wagons at the yard."

Responding to complaints about the number of staff cars entering the site he said, "The core working hours are 10.00am until 4.00pm and we have reduced staff working patterns to be more productive. There are now 50% less cars on site than there were before these changes."

Mark also added, "We get the odd complaint about deliveries in the middle of the night but we don't take any at those times. Over 90% of our deliveries take place between 6.00am and 6.00pm and I have invited HBC officers to come and wait with me at 3.00am if they want to see that there are no deliveries at that time!"

Mark also pointed out that certain residents have raised concerns about the flammability of products stored in the yard. "Any materials stored outside are construction-grade insulation and non-flammable. We had £8,000 of internal damage done recently by local kids but I invited them all along to the factory with the police to educate them about how they were harming their future careers by getting a criminal record and showing them how many people from Rishton work here. They are endangering their own friends and families' jobs by vandalising local businesses. Since then we have had no trouble."

Styropack provides polystyrene packaging and technical mouldings for boilers and washing machines, fish boxes, horticultural and pharmaceutical trays and contruction parts packaging. The business employs several people from Rishton and has had a considerable number both past and present from Parker Street itself.