After two fires in a year at the household waste depot in Brighton, the council has been asked to looked at the safety and suitability of the site.
The fire at the Veolia waste transfer site on Sunday 25 August followed a smaller blaze in September last year.
Round Hill resident Dominic Furlong spoke on behalf of his neighbours to raise seven issues of concern about the site with members of Brighton and Hove City Council.
People in the area are worried about emergency access to the site, the lack of a full sprinkler system and the effects of smoke inhalation.
They are also concerned about poor communication as the last fire took hold and poor communication about the subsequent investigation, complaints handling and whether the site is safe and suitable.
Mr Furlong told the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee that the emergency services took half an hour to gain access to the site after the August fire was reported.
It was a warm bank holiday weekend and people had their windows open. Mr Furlong’s neighbours were concerned about the impact of potentially toxic materials in the smoke.
At Hove Town Hall on Tuesday (26 November) Mr Furlong said: “They woke up to find their bedrooms full of smoke, unaware of the fire or of the advice to close their windows.
“Although no one was seriously injured, Round Hill residents are understandably concerned about the impact of smoke inhalation on their health.”
He asked why no one knocked on people’s doors to tell them about the fire and smoke.
Labour councillor Anne Pissaridou, who chairs the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said that social media was used to inform people.
But, she said, the council would take a more proactive approach if there was another fire.
Councillor Pissaridou said: “The area has been an active waste site for over 100 years.”
She said that it was managed in line with Environment Agency standards.
Investigations by a joint group made up of representatives from Veolia and East Sussex County Council are continuing, with input from the Environment Agency and East Sussex Fire and Rescue.
