Landfill firm records increase in odour complaints

One resident from Stanway in Colchester said the landfill smelled like 'rotten food'

A landfill company has said it has had an increased number of "odour complaints" from residents while a slip in the waste on site was being fixed.

Residents have said that the stench of "rotten food" coming from Bellhouse landfill site in Stanway, near Colchester, has been seeping into their homes for months.

Sarah-Jane Clack, who lives in Stanway, and said: "You can't have the windows open because the whole house will smell of it, it's ridiculous."

Mark Silvester, the chief executive of Enovert which owns the site, said the works to fix the slip required the excavation of an area of previously deposited waste, which has now been completed.

Sarah-Jane Clack has lived in Stanway for about five years

Mrs Clack, who is a delivery driver, said she has lived in the area for five years and said it has always smelled like rotting food.

Yet she added that she likes where she lives and does not want to move.

"You can't have the windows open because the whole house will smell of it. It is ridiculous," she said.

Helen Fedorenko, who lives in the area with her husband and three children, said: "We worry all the time, our kids notice the stench.

"We can wake up in the middle of the night because of the stench and we can't sleep anymore, and we feel like we cannot breathe.

"You feel like you're trapped."

Mr Silvester said: "Enovert has experienced a recent increase in the number of odour complaints received at the Bellhouse Landfill site and this coincides with work conducted in Cell 11a to rectify a slip in the waste.

"The works required the excavation of an area of previously deposited waste and were carried out with care to minimise the potential for odour.

"We are very mindful that our operations may have possible impact on the local community and try to prevent that through our operating and control measures.

"We work within our environmental permit and the recent works in cell 11a were notified to the Environment Agency in advance and have now been completed.

A spokesperson for Essex County Council has urged residents to report any complaints regarding odour to the Environment Agency.

“As part of this environmental permit, the landfill operator will have an odour management plan in place," added the spokesperson.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the authority has created a designated online page for residents to seek advice and updates on the landfill.