A BASILDON waste facility could be demolished due to a legal dispute with the county council.

Essex County Council is proposing to settle with UBB Waste Limited, which owns and runs the Tovi Eco Park facility (MBT), in Basildon, that faces being torn down.

According to a council statement, this would involve the site being demolished and the empty site being returned to the council.

The county council has been in discussions with the company about "significant performance issues".

Cllr Malcolm Buckley (Con, Wickford Castledon), Cabinet Member for Waste Reduction and Recycling, said in a statement: "For some time we have been in discussions with the owner and operator of the MBT facility to resolve the ongoing dispute.

"We are currently exploring the best solution for Essex taxpayers to bring this matter to a close in a timely fashion and ensure we get the empty site back in a safe condition."

According to the statement, Essex County Council issued two notices relating to procurement contract regulation.

A contract for the site signed in 2012 required UBB to design, build and operate the MBT facility, which was to process all black bag waste in Essex.

When after discussions over the issues were not resolved, the county council went to the High Court in 2019 and a judgement was given in June 2020.

The facility stopped operating that month and has not processed waste since.

The county council says it only paid for waste treated at the MBT facility and has paid nothing towards its design and construction.

A conclusion is expected in the coming months should a settlement be agreed, according to the statement.