Villagers' lives 'unbearable' due to rubbish tip

Flusco landfill site near the Lake District is making people's lives "totally unbearable", according to the local MP Tim Farron

People living in a village on the edge of the Lake District are having their lives made "totally unbearable" by the poor management of a nearby landfill site, according to their MP.

Residents of Newbiggin, just outside the national park, said there had been a huge increase in waste tipping since a new company took over Flusco Landfill earlier this year.

Westmorland and Furness Council has issued a temporary stop notice on the site because it believes the operator has piled waste higher than allowed. MP Tim Farron accused the firm of "taking the mickey at the expense of local people".

Waste management firm Seletia, which operates the landfill, did not respond to a request for comment.

Some residents, who did not want to be identified, spoke to the BBC about their experience.

They said they had previously paid little attention to the tip, which was screened by an embankment, but that now rubbish was visible above the top of the bund.

One said the odour from the site smelled "like bin juice" and that it "comes and goes with the direction of the weather".

"One of the other concerns we've got is the visual impact along with the constant noise levels," said another.

Response by regulators

Westmorland and Furness Council recently issued a temporary stop notice on the site because it believed waste was being dumped above agreed height levels.

It means Seletia, a Manchester-based waste firm, cannot tip rubbish there until 19 December.

The Liberal Democrat-led council has also accused the company of other planning irregularities.

The Environment Agency (EA) oversees the site's environmental permit and recently issued an enforcement notice, alleging several breaches.

But residents and the local MP have told the BBC it took multiple complaints over several weeks before the authorities took action.

Farron, the Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said it was his job to "keep nagging" to ensure the problems were tackled.

"When you've got an organisation that's clearly taking the mickey at the expense of local people, whose lives are now totally unbearable, they have to be clamped down upon," he said.

The council said it was "working closely" with the EA on the matter, but could not comment further during an "active enforcement investigation".

The EA said it was currently reviewing information regarding whether the site was now complying with its permit and added that it did not believe the annual tonnage limit of waste had been exceeded.

"We will continue to monitor the site and take appropriate action if we find any risks to the environment," a spokesperson said.

Seletia did not respond to the BBC's requests for comment.