A 115-YEAR-OLD waste firm which was urged to move after being hit by a second major blaze in three years has revealed a plan to consolidate its operations at its site.

Todd Waste Management has applied to North Yorkshire County Council to more than double one of its industrial units to 1783sq m to allow for better management of the site at Thirsk Industrial Estate.

A spokesman for the firm said the extension would ensure a range of waste could be better managed and processed at the site into a waste receipt and a waste recovery unit.

He said the extension would reduce the levels of existing odours emitted into the surrounding area as operations that take place outside would be moved indoors.

There are to be no additional processes, vehicles or jobs created by the proposal.

The spokesman said: "The proposal will ensure any impact caused by existing operations will be reduced whilst continuing to provide a much-needed service to the local community for local residents and businesses."

A Sowerby Parish Council meeting was told while the firm was highly regarded and employs 55 staff, half of whom live in Thirsk area, it had outgrown the site.

Councillors said the extension would improve the look of the site and reduce the amount of rubbish that gets blown around the area, they were concerned the extension could increase the risk of heat-generated fires, such as the devastating blaze the firm suffered in 2011.

Members of the parish council and Thirsk Town Council said they wanted to support the firm by backing the plan, which will be decided by county council officers.

Councillor Derek Adamson told Thirsk councillors: "The way Todd's handle the waste is brilliant, but the problem that remains is its location.

"People from the district council have said they would help them to move elsewhere - this further cements them in Thirsk Industrial Estate."

After a third of the site was affected by a fire at a unit containing 150 tonnes of bagged household rubbish in June, Councillor Mark Robson, leader of Hambleton District Council, which owns the industrial estate, said the firm needed to move elsewhere.

Cllr Robson said the proposal had not affected his concerns for residents living nearby and the other businesses on the estate.

He said: "I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the potential of working with Todd's to see if there is a suitable alternative location for the firm in the town."