A 63-year-old man charged with arson following a large tyre fire in North Canterbury earlier this year has pleaded not guilty.
A pile of around 160,000 tyres went up in flames on January 29 on Racecourse Road, near the small town of Amberley.
The tyre pile has been a problem within the community for years.
Their removal was ordered in 2018 after another arson at the site.
Environment Canterbury says it was just weeks away from starting a process to remove the tyres, when the pile was set alight in January.
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The man charged over the incident has interim name suppression.
He has been remanded on bail and is due to reappear in the Christchurch District Court next month.
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