Inspections under way at town with bad smell

Leachate is a liquid that comes from landfill

The Environment Agency (EA) is carrying out weekly inspections in a town where a "vile stench" has been upsetting residents.

Unwanted aromas have been drifting across Didcot in Oxfordshire from a landfill near Sutton Courtenay, created by ponds of waste liquid, known as leachate.

The EA said it had been "doing odour surveys" in the town and confirmed "there is indeed a smell... we are inspecting the site weekly to ensure essential work is progressing to stop this".

Owner FCC Environment says it is monitoring the situation.

A petition has been started by local resident Matthew Beasley calling on authorities to "manage this unacceptable situation".

'Noxious odours'

He wrote: "It's not just a mere unpleasant smell, it's something that creeps into our homes, making it impossible to ignore.

"The vile stench we are forced to endure doesn't just tarnish our quality of life, but it also poses a potential health risk to all of us.

"Over the last few months, more and more residents have reported experiencing nausea, headaches, and other health problems that they link directly to the noxious odours.

"This can no longer be brushed aside as a minor nuisance."

The EA previously said there was an increase in tanker lorries removing leachate from the site.

It has approved the temporary use of a leachate treatment plant to reduce levels quicker, though this would "continue to generate nuisance odours".

The 290.5 hectare landfill site at Appleford Sidings opened in 1980 and is estimated to take more than 350,000 tonnes of waste each year.

It is not the first time Didcot residents have had to put up with bad smells from the site. Landfill blazes in 2018 and 2022 caused a stink too.