Man jailed after huge tyre fire caused mayhem in Bradford

When a huge blaze broke out on November 16, 2020, it covered the city centre in a black pall of stinking smoke that burned until December 5 affecting more than 14,000 pupils in 25 schools, which were essentially shut.

Rail travel in and out of Bradford was also seriously disrupted.

Stuart Bedford (Image: newsquest)

At its height the conflagration was tackled by 100 firefighters with the cost put at more than £1.1m.

Prosecutor Joseph Millington, on behalf of the Environment Agency, told Bradford Crown Court that in the months before the former go-kart track at Spring Mill Street caught fire in November 2020, owner Stuart Bedford was visited by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Bradford Council, and the Environment Agency.

Bedford, now 62, was said to have had “a flagrant disregard for the law” after officials from all three agencies warned that the dump, which contained more than half a million tyres, was a “vulnerable site” as it was close to houses, rail lines, schools, businesses, care homes, and medical facilities.

They were made aware that “vast quantities” of waste tyres were being stored following a complaint in June 2020.

The tyre fire in progress

Between May and July of that year Bedford received visits, phone calls, and official letters – including a formal stop notice – warning him that there were more tyres on the site than he was allowed to have. In one phone conversation he said things had “got out of hand”.

The leased site was operated by Shipley-based Equalityre Limited of which the director was Vicky Bedford, now 51.

However Stuart Bedford was said to be “the controlling mind” of the company and the person with responsibility for it.

The sheer size of the dump prompted multiple agencies to partner on an investigation that included fire officers carrying out environmental impact and HAZMAT assessments.

Vicky Bedford (Image: T&A)

Tyres in “bales” were found to be stacked higher than the treeline and nearby buildings.

It was estimated that around 3,200 bales of waste tyres, each weighing between 600kg and 800kg, were stored on the site and that they were worth around £1m.

By July, tyres were “stacked precariously” ten bales high. More had come into the site with the figure said to have reached more than 6,600 bales as well as loose tyres.

There were no fire breaks on the site.

Mr Millington said the message to Mr Bedford was: “This is illegal, and it must stop.”

An image showing the proximity of the blaze to the railway at Mill Lane Junction (Image: T&A)

Addressing the damage caused by the “dramatic” blaze Mr Millington said: “The mess was significant, and the cost of remediation was substantial.”

He added: “Mr Bedford can have been in no doubt about the illegality of his operation and the deep concerns about it.

“He was a man who knew the waste industry and knew that he should not be doing this.”

He said Bedford was warned that a fire, if it broke out, “could burn for a considerable period of time” and that it would have “a serious, sustained, detrimental impact to human health and the environment.”

The blaze that began on November 16 was said to be a scene of “black odorous smoke” with “contaminated firewater cascading down the walls”.

When the fire was put out the site was covered in black sludge, partially burned tyres, and blackened wire.

The court heard that Bedford was running a second site at Wright Business Park in Doncaster, which was still receiving tyres three days after the Bradford site caught fire and eventually had more than 208,000 tyres inside a unit with a further 42,000 tyres outside.

The couple, who are now separated, were traced to Spain where Vicky Bedford was arrested and extradition proceedings were started against both.

They later pleaded guilty to two counts of operation of an unauthorised facility, and two counts of keeping controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution.

Mitigating for Stuart Bedford, Ben Thomas said he wished to apologise to the citizens of Bradford for the serious impact of the fire, and particularly to the children that had been affected.

He said Bedford, who had spent 20 weeks in custody, “felt a deep sense of shame” for what had happened and as a result had “lost his relationship and his freedom”. He had also attempted to take his life in 2023.

He added: “The chances of him ever working in this industry again are negligible to say the least.”

Mitigating for Vicky Bedford, Adam Birkby said she had played a limited role in the company and was a woman of previous good character who had shown “genuine remorse”.

He said: “The reason why she is being prosecuted is that the role of director comes with responsibilities.”

His Honour Judge Jonathan Gibson told Stuart Bedford, of Fairfax Avenue, Harrogate, that he had stored waste tyres “massively in excess” of what was legitimately allowed.

He described his attempts to safeguard the site in Bradford as “woefully inadequate” despite warnings over the way the tyres were stored.

He said: “All [the warnings] had very little effect. You were reckless. There is no doubt in my mind that you deliberately breached the law.

“The fire was huge and the consequences for the city enormous.

“The cost to the public was enormous and I do pay tribute to the valiant efforts of the fire service in dealing with the blaze.

He told Vicky Bedford, of Fairgrey Close, Ripon, that her actions were “negligent rather than deliberate” but even as a “straw director” she had responsibilities that she had failed to discharge.

He jailed Stuart Bedford for 12 months for each count relating to Bradford, plus eight months for each of the Doncaster charges, all to run concurrently.

He handed Vicky Bedford a 12-month community order and said she must undertake 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.