A deadline to completely remove an illegal and "potentially dangerous" stockpile of tyres next to Albury airport has been extended for a month.
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The NSW Environment Protection Authority said 880 tonnes of waste tyres had already been removed from the Bennu Circuit site at Thurgoona.
Last November, a fine of more than $500,000 was imposed on Albury company Carbon MF and its director Mark Fair for land pollution amid fears of widespread contamination and airport disruption if the 30,000 tyres ignited.
The drama escalated in late February when police were called when it was suspected men were trying to dump more tyres at the site.
NSW EPA said the agency told the owners of the site they had been granted an extension to dispose of the tyres lawfully.
"The EPA has inspected the site and is pleased significant progress is being made to remove the waste tyres by the owners of 58 Bennu Circuit, Thurgoona," an EPA spokesman said on Tuesday, April 2.
"Already 880 tonnes of tyres have been removed from the site, with approximately 500 tonnes remaining outside.
"A large number of shredded tyres discovered in the stockpile meant changes had to be made to the removal process to minimise truck movements.
"To accommodate this delay the owners have been granted an extension until April 30 to remove all waste tyres from the outdoor sections of the premises and dispose of them lawfully."
The spokesman said a final deadline of June 30 remained to ensure there was less than five tonnes of waste tyres or fewer than 500 tyres at the premises.
In February, residents at the Bennu Circuit estate feared if the pile of tyres caught fire, toxic smoke could close the airport and potentially cause a mass evacuation extending to the Albury CBD.
The current owner of the site, Dahlsens, told residents in a February 5 letter it had found itself in a "difficult position".
"We have had the unfortunate outcome of significant pollution on our property left behind by the previous tenant," Dahlsens property manager Fabrice Boucherat wrote in the letter to surrounding tenants.
"With the tenant in liquidation, found guilty and fined by the court, we find ourselves in the costly and difficult position to clean up the property."
The EPA said last year the agency had successfully prosecuted Carbon MF and its director, Mr Fair, not the current owners of the premises.
