Quarry company is reported to HSE

A legal notice has been used to stop mass limestone extraction

Peak Park officials have reported the company behind a controversial quarry to the Health and Safety Executive.

MMC Mineral Processing has been told to improve fencing around the site of Backdale Quarry near Bakewell.

To date, a legal notice was used to stop mass limestone extraction and the government intervened financially.

MMC and landowner Bleaklow Industries said operations are within planning guidelines but would not comment until a public inquiry in April.

However, park officials said the project's scale is "illegal and irreparably damaging to the world's second most visited national park".

Perimeter fencing

Last week, around 300 people attended a meeting organised by the park authority's planning committee concerning developments.

Visiting the site, landscape minister Jim Knight said: "I've given the authority here enough financial comfort to be able to issue a stop notice if they wanted to, so that they could then allow the planning inspector to determine the position at inquiry.

"That's without prejudicing the judgement of the planning inspector at all."

At the inquiry however, MMC will argue its work is within the site's 50-year-old planning consent.

On Monday the HSE confirmed inspectors had been to the site and issued improvement notices on the company.