'Misery' of dust and noise near former brickworks

Tony Ellingford has lived in Whittlesey for nearly 50 years

A resident says the dust and noise generated by industry at a nearby former brickworks site is "miserable".

Saxon Pit in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, processes incinerator bottom ash (IBA), but neighbours have spoken of hosing down cars and window sills because of dust they believe is coming from the site.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is investigating public health concerns and a business on the site has recently been reprimanded for a planning breach.

Two companies linked to the site, East Midlands Waste Management (EMW) and Johnsons Aggregates, have yet to respond to requests for comment.

Tony Ellingford's house backs on to Saxon Pit and he said frequently on dry days there were dust clouds which landed on his property.

"We're continually out there with a hose, hosing it down," he said.

"It's very, very irritating and of course the major thing is what we're actually breathing in - what's in that is a concern."

Saxon Pit is on the main road through Whittlesey

While the area is agricultural, Mr Ellingford's "educated guess" is that the dust is coming from Saxon Pit, as he's lived there for nearly 50 years.

"It's the amount we're getting since they've been down there as opposed to the amount we got before," he said.

"To be quite frank, it's miserable. I often describe it as something that's continually on you, gets you on edge."

He has concerns about the health implications, as does Clive Vaughan, who lives opposite the site and questions whether IBA is safe.

Mr Vaughan said: "This stuff, if it's poisonous, and if it gets released into the environment, is a couple of hundred metres from our homes."

Clive Vaughan lives opposite Saxon Pit

In May, Cambridgeshire County Council received a complaint that IBA from Johnsons was being sold to EMW and processed next to an open lagoon, which discharges water into the Kings Dyke watercourse.

It was later confirmed that EMW was processing waste metal without planning permission.

The council served a planning contravention notice on EMW.

It said it was working closely "to regulate the waste operators and activities on the Saxon Pit site".

A county council spokeswoman added: "Following previous concerns raised by the community in relation to the Saxon Pit site, and reported breaches of planning and environmental control at the site, our public health team is working closely with partners including Fenland District Council, the UKHSA and the Environment Agency to carry out a risk assessment.

"This will determine whether there are any current risks of harms to public health from on-site operations.

"The results of this will be finalised and published in due course."

The council said some of the complaints, "particularly around noise, have been traced to other local activities – for example nearby roadworks and the railway line".