'Putrid stink from waste site is making us ill'

Joanne Day said her children were unable to play in the garden because of the smell

Residents living near to a "putrid" industrial waste site have said it is making them ill and stopping children from playing out.

The waste heap on the Simonswood Industrial Estate in Bickerstaffe has been the subject of numerous complaints from people in West Lancashire and in the neighbouring borough of Knowsley.

Local resident, Joanne Day said the the smell "can burn your eyes, go up your nostrils, you can taste it", adding that "a lot of us are having respiratory problems".

Waste management operator Windmill Services Ltd said "everything possible" was being done to minimise the impact of the smell as the firm was "striving to remove material from site".

Ms Day said that "a lot of residents have complained about nosebleeds" and "you can't let your children play in the garden".

She said she welcomed enforcement action taken by the Environment Agency but feared the problem would just return further down the line.

"I want them to be closed and let residents have a normal life of breathing fresh air," she said.

The smell coming from the site has been described by one local councillor as being like "putrid rotten eggs", while Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley has raised the issue in Parliament, budding it "The Simonswood Stink".

Michael and Angela Driscoll have been campaigning against

Residents Angela and Michael Driscoll, who have lived in Bickerstaffe for 22 years, said they had spent the past nine years campaigning against the site, which is just yards from their back door.

Mr Driscoll said: "We know how high the mounds of waste are supposed to be, but those mounds are three times the height. There is no regulation whatsoever."

The couple said that HGVs travelling to and from the site frequently caused their house to vibrate and other residents were also concerned about this issue.

Mrs Driscoll, who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue in 2023, said: "It's awful. I am supposed to relax here, but I can't enjoy it [because of] the sound, the dirt and dust."

The mound of waste, which comes from the construction industry and is processed by Windmill Services Ltd, can be seen from nearby Kirkby.

The company had permission to store waste on site up to 5m high, but Knowsley Council said it estimated the pile to be at least 15m higher than that.

Residents said the mound had been allowed to build up for so long that the decomposition of material inside it caused strong odours to be released whenever it was disturbed.

Stephen Jones said inhaling the smell made him feel sick and lose his appetite

Stephen Jones, who lives about a mile away from the site, said: "You close the windows, but once you inhale the smell and you feel sick and lose your appetite."

He called on Lancashire County Council to stop any new waste sites from being opened up there and said the agencies involved needed "to regulate the activity that is going on there".

Residents near the site on Simonswood Industrial Estate have complained of physical symptoms

The Environment Agency (EA) issued an enforcement notice on Windmill Services Ltd on 28 March, meaning it can no longer accept any more waste.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said the business had exceeded its allowance for waste storage by 300,000 tonnes, with an Environmental Permit Suspension Notice (EPSN) remaining effective indefinitely.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said "We are carrying out regular site inspections and will monitor the progress of work outlined in the conditions of the notice."

'Enforcement action needed'

Knowsley Council said it had no enforcement power over the site, with monitoring and regulation falling either to Lancashire County Council and / or the EA, depending on the type and size of each business.

Knowsley's council leader has travelled to the Houses of Parliament to raise residents' concerns with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

His deputy, Tony Brennan, said the meeting had been successful, but the council would not give up until the matter was resolved.

"We want action to be taken. People here have had enough. There needs to be a robust monitoring and assessment taking place, and enforcement action," Brennan said.

Lancashire County Council (LCC) said it had taken complaints seriously and had taken court action against the business owner of Windmill Services, demanding it reduced the stockpiled materials which breached the planning permissions and the designated waste permit on the site.

The local authority said it has warned the business not to operate at weekends and was liaising with the company to remove waste in line with regulations.

An LCC spokesperson said it had been working with the EA and a drone survey by the EA on 21 March 2025 found non-permitted waste across significant areas of the site.

"Windmill Services can no longer operate on the site at the present time," they said.

A Windmill Services spokesman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Everything possible is being done to minimise any impact on the community as all efforts are focussed on striving to remove material from site.

"This includes limiting any odour or dust with regular monitoring and appropriate measures adopted in line with Environment Agency guidance and approved environmental management systems."