Work under way to stop quarry's 'rotten egg' smell

The landfill was not covered in enough soil to stop odours from escaping

Work to stop "rotten egg" smells escaping from a landfill site will be finished this month, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

People living near Aycliffe Quarry, in County Durham, have complained of the overwhelming odour.

Stonegrave Aggregates Limited, which runs the quarry, was handed an enforcement order from the EA to fix the problems causing the smell.

The EA said the work was nearly complete and its air monitoring had recorded "low levels of methane and hydrogen sulphide off site".

The enforcement notice was issued on 5 February and said three of the landfill's "cells" were not covered with enough soil to prevent the escape of gases.

Cells are pit-like units where waste is disposed of.

A pile of waste - known as a flank - was found to be the main source of emissions from the site.

The inspection also found that gas wells used to collect landfill gas were damaged.

The landfill's flank was realigned to better control the smell

The EA said the flank had now been covered with a layer of material to "reduce odours coming from the site".

It said extra gas wells, which reduced "odorous emissions" by drawing out the gas through sealed pipes, were also being added across the site.

"These works are ongoing and are expected to be completed in April," the EA added.

A permanent air monitoring station is set to be installed at the site and the EA said it would continue to inspect the site regularly.