Waste company told to act after 'whiff' complaints

A number of complaints have been made about the 'Westbury Whiff'

A waste company has been told to implement further smell reducing measures after an "unacceptable number of complaints" from nearby residents.

The Environment Agency (EA) said Hills Waste Solutions (HWS), which operates Northacre Resource Recovery Centre for Wiltshire Council in Westbury, was not taking all appropriate measures to reduce odour and remained in breach of its permit conditions.

Waste at the site is turned into solid recovered fuel, which can then be used by renewable energy plants to generate power.

A spokesperson for HWS said it takes odour concerns very seriously and was working with the EA to get the smell under control.

"We have already upgraded the site's biofilter and installed additional extraction equipment, and we are now undertaking a feasibility study to assess further improvements," the spokesperson said.

"We remain fully committed to working with the regulator and the local community."

Dawid moved to Westbury last year and noticed the smell immediately

Philip Davie, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said: "Every now and then something does blow over.

"Usually it's when it's warmer. It's like the smell you get when you're following a dustbin lorry."

Resident Dawid, who works next to the site, moved to the area about a year ago and noticed the smell immediately.

"The best way I could describe it is when you open a bin. A long overdue bin, so it's a mix of horrible smells," he said.

Residents have reported the whiff travelling further than the industrial area the site is in

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, EA officers monitoring odour reports said they had detected "very faint" or "faint" odours off the site, which can handle up to 90,000 tonnes of waste per year.

It said in some non-residential areas the intensity has been "distinct".

The EA said it will continue to investigate odour reports and has given HWS until 22 December to implement further mitigation measures.

Residents are encouraged to keep reporting odour incidents to the agency.