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Landfill licence suspended over 'Fleetwood stink'

Jonny Humphries
BBC News
BBC A young woman with long blonde hair, in a grey coat and yellow high vis vest, holds a sign that says 'stop the stink' in front of large green skips at a landfill site.BBC
Residents said the "rotten egg smell" was so bad it was making them ill

The operator of a landfill site which attracted thousands of complaints about the smell of "rotten eggs" has had its licence suspended.

The Environment Agency (EA) told Transwaste Ltd it had failed to take "appropriate measures to collect and manage landfill gas" at its Jameson Road site in Fleetwood, Lancashire.

The suspension notice means the company must stop accepting new waste until works to fix the problems causing the stench have been completed.

A Facebook post from local school Flakefleet Primary celebrated the move, stating: "Enough was enough and, together, we made a stand."

Transwaste said it was already in the process of creating 11 deep wells to trap landfill gas which it said should be functioning "by close of play" on Friday.

Some residents told the BBC that gas emanating from the site was causing breathing difficulties, while the foul odour was making their lives a misery.

Last week Christine Butterworth, 83, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said there were days when she "just can't breathe".

BBC/Paul Burnell Ian Durn with shaved head, white beard, blue and white striped shirt with rolled up sleeve and navy blue trousers. Christine Butterworth with white hair, white coloured sweat shirt and black zip up cardigan and their little dog in the middle of their black leather sofa.BBC/Paul Burnell
Ian Durn and his partner Christine Butterworth said the smell was unbearable

Flakefleet Primary Shool said: "So proud of each and every person who raised their voice, filed a complaint, showed up and spoke out. This happened because of you.

"There are things we wish we had more of in Fleetwood but heart, fight, and community aren't on that list."

The EA said it had received 1,125 complaints in February, compared to 270 and 21 in January and December respectively.

Transwaste blamed very high winds during Storm Eowyn in January for tearing off caps that had been sealing in the gas at the site.

It said in February that the foul smell should dissipate once repairs were carried out.

Three large metal black cylindrical waste tanks behind a green metal fence.
Four times as many complaints about the stink were made in February than in January, the Environment Agency said

But on Thursday the EA issued a formal suspension notice.

It read: "You are not taking all appropriate measures to collect and manage landfill gas from Cell 6."

The EA said the company had contravened environmental legislation and the contravention had "caused offence to human senses" and impacted residents and businesses.

It added: "We are carrying out daily odour checks and regular site inspections and will monitor the progress of work outlined in the conditions of the notice.

"While serving the notice will not stop the odour immediately, we expect it will start to reduce as work progresses.

"If the situation does not improve we will consider further enforcement action."

Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers raised the issue in the House of Commons in February.

She said residents had been complaining of nose bleeds, breathing problems and vomiting.

Andrew Acum, managing director of Transwaste, said the company was "already taking all appropriate measures".

"We closed the site and have spent the last week preparing to install 11 deep wells," he told the BBC.

"These have been installed this week and will be connected up and functioning by close of play tonight."

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