DRIVERS will be able to scrap their old cars in an environmentally-friendly way when one of the UK’s fastest-growing companies continues its expansion in the North-East.

European Metal Recycling’s Darlington plant, which is due to open in the next two weeks, will include a vehicle recycling facility for the public and industry.

The plant, at Cleveland Trading Estate, Albert Hill, is to include a vehicle de-pollution rig, which will remove fluids such as engine oil and fuel prior to recycling, making the process more environmentally-friendly.

Although initially the plant will be run by ten staff from its other North-East sites, a number of new jobs are expected to be created.

The company already runs plants at Middlesbrough, Marske, Hartlepool, Blaydon, Tyne Dock and Sunderland, which it bought in October last year from the Sunderland Metal Company.

Earlier this year, the firm was named as one of the country’s top ten fastestgrowing, privately-owned companies by The Sunday Times. The firm recycles a range of metals, which also come from consumer goods, industry and demolition sites.

Darlington site manager John Foster said: “It’s not just vehicles we’ll be recycling, it’s all kinds of metal scrap, copper, anything.

“It’s in the final stages now, we should be opening very soon.”

The company’s spokeswoman, Emma Rimmer, said: “We don’t have an exact date as yet, but we’ll be opening in the coming weeks.

“Initially, we’ll have ten ground staff brought in from other sites in the region, with the skills and experience to train up future employees.

“As we grow and establish our presence, we’ll be taking on more staff – this normally takes a couple of months.

“We take all grades of ferrous and non-ferrous metal.

It’s a strategic move for us to come to Darlington.

“We’re looking forward to becoming part of the infrastructure there and having the same success we’ve had in the rest of the North East.”

The Warrington-based company employs 2,300 people at more than 100 sites and had a turnover in 2008 of more than £3bn, with operations in Europe, the US and Asia.