Residents appalled by 'eggy' landfill odour

Heywood resident Chris Brierley said he could not use his garden due to the whiff

Residents have told how disgusting smells from a landfill site are "turning their stomachs and making them feel sick".

The stench has been emitting from the Pilsworth South site in Bury, Greater Manchester, since last summer.

People living as far away as Unsworth and Heywood have said it is "blighting their lives".

Valencia Waste Ltd, which operates the site, apologised and said it was addressing the cause of the odour.

An overhead shot of the Pilsworth South site

Chris Brierley, 43, lives at Kelty Grove, Heywood, about two miles away.

He said: "It's like being next to or in a bin, like sulphuric acid or an eggy sort of smell and it's pretty horrific at times.

"We had friends and family around on New Year's Eve and we couldn't use the garden."

Nicky Barker-Gorse said she could smell the landfill from her home

Nicky Barker-Gorse, who lives on the Darnhill estate in Heywood, said she was no longer letting her children go outside.

The 40-year-old said: "The smell when it's at it's worst is a very eggy, gassy, offensive smell. It makes you want to be physically sick."

Residents have said they were also hit with swarms of flies over summer, which they believe came from the site.

Ms Barker-Gorse added: "We had a massive infestation of flies. You had to cover up your drinks, your food. You just had to keep everything closed up all the time."

Councillor Angela Brown has been representing residents in Heywood

Heywood West councillor Angela Brown became aware of the smell last summer and has been inundated with calls.

She said she has been calling on the Environment Agency to take action.

She said: "People want to know if this is impacting their health and affecting their children. I've had people tell me that they're physically gagging."

Another view of the site in Bury

A spokesperson for Valencia Waste Management Ltd apologised to residents and said the company was "committed to being a responsible operator and working alongside our local community".

They added: "During recent months, we have been undertaking extensive engineering works on site to improve odour control.

"Unfortunately, the recent extreme weather conditions delayed the completion of these engineering works. The engineering works have now been completed and the odour has been suppressed.

"We are working with the Environment Agency and have undertaken further odour suppression activity to reduce the risk of further odour issues around the site."

The Environment Agency said investigations were ongoing.