Landfill misses deadline to stop smell - report

Local people claim the smell has caused nosebleeds and breathing problems

The suspension of operations at a landfill site has been extended after it failed to fix "odour emissions" which have been linked to health problems.

Residents in Fleetwood have complained the site on Jameson Road has been emitting a rotten egg smell since February and making them ill.

The Environment Agency (EA) said an inspection earlier this week concluded Transwaste, which runs the site, had not done enough to eliminate the problem.

Transwaste said it had installed a liner and capped the area as agreed.

The EA said its priority was "minimising off-site odour issues" and it would "continue to monitor progress".

It added: “Following an inspection of the site we have not lifted the suspension notice.

“While much of the required work to cover the problem area of the site has been done, we need assurances that it is being completed to the expected standards."

Wyre Council, which owns the site, received more than 800 complaints about the stink.

It previously stated: “The Council are aware of the odour from the landfill site at Jameson Road, Fleetwood, and fully appreciate the severity of the issue for all those affected.

"We continue working as part of a multi-agency response to resolve the issue.”

Concerns were raised the landfill was full after Tranwaste took over the location last year

Tranwaste took over the landfill from previous operator Suez last year, although concerns were raised that the landfill was full and no longer profitable.

Following concerns about the smells, which is thought to be Hydrogen Sulphide, campaigners called for the site to be shut down permanently.

Members of the Action against Jameson Road, Fleetwood Landfill site gas smell group, said some people had experienced nosebleeds and breathing problems.

After Transwaste failed to meet a 15 May deadline to to cap the cell linked to the problem smell, the EA handed it a Regulatory Enforcement on 24 May to stop accepting new arrivals of waste, and ordered it to fix the problem by the 9 July deadline.

'Serious issue'

Barbara Kneale, a resident who campaigned against the smell, said: “I think it is the right decision by the Environment Agency not to lift the suspension.

“I personally believe that the site should not have been reopened by Transwaste in the first place, but it is encouraging that EA recognises how serious an issue this is to local people."

A spokesperson for Transwaste said: “The installation of the liner is now complete and the area (26,000m2) is capped as agreed.

"The Environment Agency is now studying the validation report and we await their approval.”