Residents describe 'eye-watering' landfill stench

A landfill site in Micklefield, Leeds, smells so unpleasant it is making residents feel unwell

Residents of a West Yorkshire village said a "nauseating" odour coming from the local landfill site was so bad it made it difficult to breath at times.

Locals of Micklefield in Leeds also said the stench has been going on for the past 30 years and was "disrupting" village life.

The Environment Agency said it had identified "several areas" where the gas collection infrastructure that controls the smell was defective and instructed the owners of the site to start repair work, which stared in June.

Landfill company Caird Peckfield has not responded to the BBC's request for comment.

The landfill site, on Ridge Road, is located in an old limestone quarry and has been in operation since the early 90s, according to Leeds City Council.

The Environment Agency issued an enforcement notice in December to Caird Peckfield to repair the site after receiving up to a hundred complaints a week, a spokesperson said.

The Environment Agency said it was considering legal action against Caird Peckfield

But the deadline has now passed and recent inspections showed the work did not meet the requirements.

The Environment Agency also said it had stipulated the work needed to be completed "as quickly as possible" but as it is weather dependant, it was "difficult to give an accurate timescale" .

Meanwhile, parish counsellor Anne Robertson, who has lived in Micklefield for the past four years, said she was aware of the issue when she bought her house but thought it would be dealt with quickly.

She told the BBC: "It is nauseating and very difficult to feel comfortable breathing.

"There is a very sickly smell which lingers in your mouth and nostrils and it's very unpleasant.

"It's also embarrassing when you have visitors - people say 'oh what's that smell?' and you have to say 'it's the tip'".

She added: "It's been 30 years of disruption to the village and disruption to village life."

Joan Auty, 74, said she cannot hang her washing out to dry as the smell is so bad

Peter Stevenson, from the Environment Agency, said: "We have staff on site everyday making sure what Caird Peckfiled Limited is doing is in compliance with the standards of the permit to make sure the work is completed as soon as possible."

Another resident said the smell was so bad she could not hang her washing out to dry.

Joan Auty, 74, said it "stunk" and she was forced to do her laundry outside the village.

Liz Todd, 56, added: "It takes your nasal passage, it can be eye-watering."

The Environment Agency said though some people may experience symptoms such as nausea, headaches or dizziness, the substances that causes the odours are "not directly harmful to health".

However it also said it was considering legal action against Caird Peckfield in relation to the enforcement notice.

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