A Romford scrap metal business says it is working to regain the trust of its neighbours after they picketed its premises last week.
Residents gathered outside Crow Metals, in Crow Lane, last Saturday, January 22, chanting "Crow must go".
Organiser Ajay Singh said: “We think 50 or 60 people came out. People were very angry. There are so many issues."
Last September, the Recorder reported that the business had been closed down by the Environment Agency after 725 noise complaints were filed in 30 months.
The business has since made changes and been allowed to reopen – but residents say the noise has continued.
The company moved into the residential area in 2011.
Residents say HGVs visiting the company illegally park in the road, on pavements and across residents’ driveways, causing traffic, safety issues and pollution.
Havering Council has previously promised a raft of measures to combat the illegal parking, including a new crossing, double yellow lines and physical barriers, like trees and bollards, to prevent pavement parking.
But residents have complained that the promised interventions have never materialised.
Their signs last Saturday claimed they were being “ignored by Havering Council and the local Environment Agency”.
Havering Council did not comment on when the interventions would be implemented.
Osman Dervish, cabinet member for environment, said the council was “continuing to take action against unlawful parking on roads and pavements and to introduce safety measures on Crow Lane.”
The Environment Agency has said it is “actively monitoring noise levels at the site”.
Joe Wakefield, director of Crow Metals, said: “The Environment Agency are satisfied with the measures we have put in place to reduce noise and vibrations.
"That’s why they gave us the all-clear and reinstated our licence, enabling us to resume trading.”
He added that the company was currently “testing proposed solutions” to the parking issues.
“We know that we have a lot of work to do to rebuild trust with our neighbours,” he said.
“The measures we have put in place to reduce noise impact is a step in the right direction and we look forward to presenting our proposed parking strategies in due course.”
For more, read:
Inspectors close scrap metal yard over 'risk to human health'
'They never come': Neighbours feel abandoned over persistent dangerous parking
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