FORMAL action is being taken against the owner of a Bradford site where a major fire broke out after the operator failed to clear thousands of tyres from the land.

The Environment Agency has confirmed that it has now served an enforcement notice on the land owner at Spring Mill Street after a lack of action by the unnamed operator.

Officers had already launched an investigation into the suspected illegal storage of waste tyres at the old go-karting site near Manchester Road last summer after receiving complaints.

In addition they visited the site and issued a first enforcement notice - on the operator - a month before the fire broke out.

At its height, 15 fire fighters and almost 100 fire fighters were needed to tackle the blaze, and every active firefighter working for West Yorkshire Fire Service attended the scene at some point.

Last month the Environment Agency confirmed that the operator had failed to comply with the clearance notice, and that it was “working with those that have legal responsibility for the land to seek removal of waste from the site”.

Now they have confirmed that a second enforcement notice has been issued - this time on the land owner - and they have three weeks left to comply.

A spokesman said: “The operator has failed to meet the conditions of the enforcement notice requiring it to remove waste from the site. In such circumstances responsibility for site clearance falls to the land owner, who has now been served an enforcement notice, requiring them to remove the remaining baled tyres by April 6.

“The Environment Agency and our partners are committed to tackling waste crime. Last year we helped set up the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC); a partnership that has led to intelligence sharing, proactive operations and the disruption of criminality in the waste industry.”

Details of the landowner, and therefore who has been served the notice, have not been revealed by the Environment Agency at this time.

Photographs of the yard taken by the Telegraph & Argus this week clearly show a vast number of loose and baled tyres on the site.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson and remain on bail, with police enquiries ongoing.

The fire caused major disruption as a number of local schools and businesses were affected due to air pollution caused by smoke from the blaze.

Public transport services in and out of Bradford Interchange also had to be cancelled or diverted, and a number of nearby roads closed.