Quarry's 'rotten egg' smell prompts air monitoring

Ashcourt Quarry, near Newton Aycliffe, has been told by the Environment Agency it needs to stop the smell

The smell of "rotten eggs" from a County Durham quarry has prompted environment officials to permanently monitor the local air.

Residents in Newton Aycliffe first reported the pong emanating from Ashcourt Quarry in 2023.

Locals have complained they cannot escape the odour, described as "like the back of a bin truck".

Ashcourt Group said the permit holder of the quarry, Stonegrave Aggregates, has implemented a plan to improve the site's infrastructure.

The EA said a permanent air monitoring system would be installed near the site as it works to stop the stench.

Last year, officials found the methane smell was seeping from Ashcourt's gas wells, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

One Brafferton resident said: "It gets worse at night, and it fills the house – you simply cannot get it out and it absolutely stinks.

"I’ve never smelt something like that in my life, it’s like the back of a bin truck."

Capping work

The issue was raised at a Darlington Borough Council meeting.

Green councillor Roz Henderson said: "Darlington residents are concerned, not only because of the smell of rotten eggs, but residents are also worried about the health impact."

Labour's Chris McEwan said the council was working with the appropriate authorities to fix the issue.

Gary Wallace, the EA's area environment manager, said the quarry had been handed an enforcement notice setting out what action it needed to take.

"The capping work on three of the landfill cells, causing most of the odour issues, has been completed and we will be assessing them this week," he added.

"Extra gas extraction wells are being installed across the site and we expect this to be completed next month, followed by further capping work elsewhere.

“While our daily monitoring of the area continues to show this ongoing work is effective at reducing odours, we do plan to install a permanent air monitoring system close to the site to add to our monitoring checks."

Ashcourt Group said it commissioned a full camera survey of the site and work started in November to address the gas infrastructure, "with a view" to permanent capping.

"Our plans have been hindered by the amount of wet weather over the winter and it is well-known that all landfill sites experience issues during wet winters," a spokesperson added.

The firm said it had been "continually working hard" to make the improvements, and step one of a three step plan was finalised on time on Friday.