'Rotten eggs' landfill site meets safety standards

Residents have staged a long-running campaign about the tip smell

A landfill site that prompted thousands of complaints about the smell of "rotten eggs" falls within safety standards, a report has found.

The Environment Agency has released the findings of the latest monitoring period from May last year to March for the Jameson Road site in Fleetwood, Lancashire.

It confirmed levels of hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide and methane were all within World Health Organization safety standards.

Site operators Transwaste said it hoped the findings would be "reassuring news for local residents".

Some residents had told the BBC that gas emanating from the site was causing breathing difficulties, while the foul odour was making their lives a misery.

The row over the smell coming from the tip led to Transwaste's licence being suspended in March after the EA told the operator it had failed to take "appropriate measures to collect and manage landfill gas".

The Environment Agency monitored the air quality round the site

The ban was lifted in April after the operator took the necessary steps.

The EA's monitoring programme included continuous and targeted testing for a wide range of chemical substances known to be linked to landfill activity.

The report indicated that the air quality at the monitoring site was "within guideline values".

A spokesman for Transwaste said: "The monitoring results show that all levels are well below WHO and UK advisory and regulatory safety levels.

"We take our environmental responsibilities seriously. These findings reflect the hard work of our team and our ongoing investment in technologies and processes that protect both people and the planet."