A Shropshire company has opened a waste transfer station and builders’ merchant at its new base near Market Drayton, creating eight new jobs.

Family firm A R Richards Limited is launching the new venture for trade waste, where it will be crushed, sorted, processed and then sold onwards to the trade or delivery to the public, as aggregates, topsoil, sand and gravel.

Andrew Richards, from the firm, said the company had invested in the site at Warrant Hangar, Sutton Road, Ternhill, to not only conform to environmental regulations, but also to alleviate any annoyance to neighbours.

At the same time the company will be opening a trade-only builders’ merchant, open to the public for a delivery service only.

Mr Richards, who will run the station, said: “We believe there is a need in the area for a commercial waste site and we hope to fill that need. Our main concern is for the environment and our neighbours. We will not be accepting any hazardous waste, it will mostly be inert.

“In a site like ours it is most important to keep everywhere neat and tidy and to conform to environmental rules and regulations. As with the agricultural contracting we will be constantly looking at our equipment to make certain of its reliability and hence the costs. In time we will also operate a skip-hire service for both the public and trade.

“We believe these new ventures slot naturally in with our existing businesses which we hope many existing as well as new customers will take advantage of.”

Sam Richards, who will be in charge of the builders’ merchant, added: “I have wanted the company to provide this service for many years. We have been inundated with requests from existing customers for different products, which lack of space prevented us from holding.

“Now a well laid out area at the rear of the hangar will allow us to stock and display our full range of wares. This will in turn allow us to buy better and offer good prices to our customers.”

The agricultural and plant-hire contracting will remain at the previous depot at Cobscott, Norton-in-Hales, but all the offices and accounts department will move to the new site at Tern Hill.