Newcastle and Contract Heat fined £30,000 over Byker ash saga

Newcastle City Council and incinerator operator Contract Heat & Power have been fined a total of £30,000 for their roles in the Byker ash saga, which involved the spreading of dioxin-laden incinerator ash on allotments in Newcastle. Residents remain angry that a series of other charges were dropped by the Environment Agency, and that the results of an internal investigation into the Agency's oversight of the plant could remain under wraps.