The High Court has set the date for the Environment Agency (EA)'s case against Waste4Fuel to be heard.

A three day hearing will take place from May 6 at the High Court in London.

In November last year, the EA acquired a High Court order requiring all combustible waste to be removed from the St Paul's Cray site by May 1 following a number of fires.

However, concerned the order was not being complied with, the EA went up against Waste4Fuel, former company director Bryan Hughes, new company director Shelley Hurst and site manager Jonathan Beckson at the High Court at the end of March.

The EA were seeking contempt charges against the defendants, who were given 28 days to prepare their legal defence.

In summation at the March hearing, His Honour Judge McKenna said he considered it common sense that the conduct of the defence between then and the subsequent hearing would affect sentencing if contempt of court was proven.

Since then, EA officers have visited the site every day to monitor compliance with the High Court order.

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Jon Griffin, waste team leader at the Environment Agency, said: "We have been at the site every day since the last hearing to monitor Waste4Fuel’s compliance with the original High Court Order.

"I'm hopeful that our next visit to the High Court will bring a positive outcome for the community, and we can soon get the site back into compliance."

Residents nearby have grown increasingly exasperated by the ongoing problems at the plant.

Many have mentioned worries about health problems as a result of fumes being emitted, with some members of the public being physically sick as a result.

The EA says a Public Health England toxicity report will be released imminently.