Odour rules call to tackle town's 30-year stench

Omega Proteins has been blamed for unpleasant smells in Penrith which have persisted for decades

An MP has questioned if odour pollution regulations are "strict enough" amid the latest attempts to tackle foul smells that have blighted a community for decades.

The BBC reported on the Penrith Pong in 2014, at which point the issue - reportedly linked to an Omega Proteins animal rendering factory on the outskirts of the Cumbrian town - had persisted intermittently for about 20 years.

Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours, who held a public meeting about the stench on Thursday, said he wanted to know if "regulators are doing their job".

The Environment Agency (EA) said an inspection in June found no breaches in the plant's environmental permit. Omega Proteins has been approached for comment.

The plant produces oils and meals for use predominantly in pet food but also in other products such as biofuel and cosmetics.

Omega Proteins previously said there were "various sources" for the odours and it had installed "multiple odour abatement technologies" at the factory.

'Intermittent but awful'

Labour MP Campbell-Savours said he carried out an online survey about the problem earlier this year which led to more than 250 responses, "some of them describing quite negative views on the impact it is having on their lives".

Jeff Thomson, who runs the Fresh Air for Penrith campaign, previously said that, when the smell was at its worst, people often reported feeling nauseous.

Campbell-Savours said there were "questions" about existing odour pollution rules.

"When I have people contacting me on a regular basis telling me how awful it is – intermittent but still awful – then it is right for me to be questioning whether the regulators are doing their job," he said.

He also asked whether the current regulations were "fit for purpose".

The EA said: "We carry out regular site inspections of this plant, which include auditing gas emission controls, and continue to have discussions with the operator about managing odours from the site."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been approached for comment, while Westmorland and Furness Council said it had completed its statutory nuisance investigation into the plant but had yet to finalise an outcome.