Mysterious nasty smell in Burslem investigated by Environment Agency

Fresh complaints about a foul stench in a Staffordshire town are being investigated by the Environment Agency.

Residents in Burlsem said the air has smelt like rotten eggs and dead carcasses, adding it was particularly bad during the night.

No source has been identified but Walleys Quarry in nearby Silverdale, already being investigated for strong odours, said it was not responsible.

The Environment Agency (EA) urged people to report any unpleasant smells.

Residents have shared their complaints and speculation about the smell being linked to Walleys Quarry on the Our Burslem Mother Town group on Facebook, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The landfill site has faced thousands of complaints and a long-running campaign by locals after they complained about the foul smells coming from the site.

It is being closely monitoring by the Environment Agency, which released a plan in October to reduce odours from the site.

As part of this, capping work was being completed this week, while almost all recent emissions levels have been below the World Health Organisation's annoyance threshold.

After complaints about the latest smell in Longport in Burslem, a spokesperson denied it was to blame.

"This is an absurdly speculative claim - particularly given the Environment Agency's reporting of consistently low emissions levels at Walleys Quarry and the fact that Longport is three miles from our site," they said.

Stoke-on-Trent councillor Jane Ashworth said the stench seemed to be coming from the direction of the Porthill roundabout.

"But it's reaching as far as Smallthorne and some people who live in Smallthorne wonder if it's coming from the Sneyd Hill or Hot Lane area," she said.

"It's a nasty smell, and you have to shut your windows - and in the last few [days] that's really not been ok.

"It sticks in the back of your throat, it's acrid. It's nasty.

"It's a mixture of eggy sulphurous stuff and something that's acrid and sticks on your throat."

She advised people to report the issue to help authorities build up a profile of the problem.

The Environment Agency said it takes complaints of unpleasant odours very seriously, and asked the public to get in touch if they have any concerns.

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