Member Article

Jones Bros nears completion of Lancashire landfill cell

Additional rock found during the excavation failed to delay a leading civil engineering firm’s construction of a landfill cell.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK expected to remove 6,000m3 of sandstone as part of the scheme at Whinney Hill landfill in Lancashire. However, the family-firm discovered an extra 14,000m3 of material when works started.

Thanks to Jones Bros owning its own fleet of plant, it was able to quickly call on additional resources to not only avoid delays, but to complete bulk excavation ahead of schedule. In addition, the surplus sandstone was crushed on site by its machinery, reducing the need for vehicle journeys to and from site.

Jones Bros was appointed by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK for phase one of the project in part due to its ability to have a quick turnaround on the excavation. The family firm was also awarded the second phase of works, a comprehensive landfill project to ensure the protection of the environment via multiple layers of lining in the cell.

Project manager Owain Evans said: “We won the contract based on having a shorter length of programme compared with others.

“It was a fairly tight programme even before we encountered the extra sandstone. We mobilised a 67-tonne excavator to site to replace a 45-tonne excavator, which couldn’t excavate the harder sections of rock as quickly or easily.

“Still finishing phase one ahead of schedule is largely down to the team and the fact we are able to call upon the correct machinery at a moment’s notice.

“We are installing a geocomposite drainage layer, 600mm of engineered clay, a geocomposite clay layer, 2mm HDPE liner, protection geotextile layer, 300mm leachate drainage stone, and a filter geotextile layer.

“The final stage of the project will see a layer of stone placed over a 600m landfill access road, with the extra material available for future work on the track.

“It’s been fantastic for the team, which includes one apprentice plant operator, one graduate of the plant apprenticeship, and one apprentice engineer, to gain experience on such a scheme, including overcoming challenges found during work carried out.”

Jones Bros provides a wide range of remediation services for contaminated land and brownfield sites, and is widely acclaimed as one of the leading qualified contractors in the sector.

The company’s expertise in waste remediation has led to further success in the recycling and waste management facility sector, including designing and building a range of recycling and waste management centres.

Jones Bros was founded in the 1950s and now employs 360 people. The company’s aim is to continue to achieve steady growth rates and deliver success for the long term.

As well as waste management, the company is currently working on contracts in various sectors including highways, flood and marine defence, and renewable energy projects around the UK.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .