'Waste dump sewer smell makes my kids feel sick'

Residents claim they get no response to their complaints

A mother has told how the stench from a rotting waste heap is making her children feel ill.

The Simonswood Industrial Estate in Kirkby has been the subject of numerous complaints over the last 12 months due to the levels of dust and dirt with residents reporting a "mysterious rotten egg smell".

Resident Jade said the stink "hits you in the face" and "burns your eyes and nose".

The Environment Agency (EA) which has monitored the site has been contacted for a comment.

Jade told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "Sometimes the children start saying to me 'mummy, I'll feel sick. I think it's that smell'."

She is the latest resident to express concerns about the site on Stopgate Lane, adding: "It could be making us ill and I don't know if there are any long term effects."

The young mum described it as "like a sewer smell" which "gets so strong".

"For example, I've just opened my back doors before and it's just hit me right in the face. It burns your eyes and your nose," she said.

"It's that strong and it lingers – it could be a couple of minutes to a couple of hours or a day."

Jade said she had contacted the EA several times and knew other local residents who had reported the smell.

She added: "Nobody's receiving any feedback to say that anything's being done about it, or even if they're working on it."

'Frustrating'

Last month, the LDRS reported on a retrospective planning application to allow waste to be stored on the site – which was refused for a second time.

The site falls under the jurisdiction of Lancashire County Council, but Knowsley Council has also submitted reports on behalf of their constituents as the smell drifts over the border into Kirkby.

Councillor Tony Brennan said: "We are continuing to call on the Environment Agency to act and resolve this matter.

"I can say for certain that if Knowsley Council had enforcement powers over this site, we would not be tolerating these ongoing and serious issues."

The BBC has contacted Lancashire County Council for comment.

Brennan said it was "incredibly frustrating" that the council had been "highlighting our concerns about this estate to the regulatory authorities for many years but have seen little action".

The EA previously said it had issued an enforcement notice to an operator on the estate and asked them to remove excess waste.