ALMOST a year on from the dramatic scrapyard fire that burned for three days and created a smoke plume that could be seen as far away as Gloucester, Trowbridge firm EJ Shanley is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The family-run business, which was formally established on April 8, 1965, has been central to the town ever since Edward Joseph Shanley purchased the Shails Lane site at auction for £250 in 1960.

It has remained in the family ever since, with Edward’s son Terry taking it over when he passed away in 1989, and has seen a number of changes over the years, evolving from a metal reclamation centre to a skip hire and waste management company.

Terry Shanley, who has now passed on most of the day-to-day running to his children, said the 50th anniversary is a remarkable accomplishment.

He said: “It is a huge achievement for the company as we have had to change and adapt the business constantly as time has gone on. The manufacturing industry has changed a lot over the years, with everything being exported these days.

“About 30 years ago we were still supplying about 30 per cent to the UK, but that has changed drastically over the years and now we don’t supply the UK at all. That would have to be one of the biggest changes we’ve experienced.

“All companies have to evolve, as you can’t afford to stand still. I think it is a testament to our ability to move with the times over the last 50 years that we have reached this milestone.”

Despite the company’s success, EJ Shanley faced one of the toughest periods in its history last June, when a fire broke out at the scrapyard in Shails Lane, with much of the yard’s 400 tonnes of metal going up in flames.

It took more than 40 firefighters and staff from Shanleys more three days to put out the fire, which reached more than 3,000 degrees at its peak and created a huge plume of smoke.

“That was the worst moment we have had as a company,” said Mr Shanley.

“It took us a while to recover from that and it was terrible at the time, but we have moved on now.

“We still don’t know exactly what caused it. We know where it started, we just don’t know why. It took three days to put it out and we lost all power on site, but all you can do is learn from it.”

The company, which has also done a lot for local charities such as Stepping Stones, is now looking to the future and Mr Shanley is confident that it can keep going strong for another half century.

He added: “I think we can last another 50 years.

“Nothing is every certain, but we have a tremendous solid base to work from and we have invested a great deal in Trowbridge over the years as the company has expanded.

“We are currently right in the centre of town and I think the long-term plan is for the company to relocate to the outside of town. Trowbridge is growing and I don’t think it will suit the expansion of the town.”