Summary

  • Our live coverage has concluded

  • Walleys Quarry Ltd has gone into liquidation

  • The landfill in Silverdale, Staffordshire has been closed to new waste since November

  • The site has been the focus of community anger for more than a decade

  • It has attracted hundreds of thousands of complaints over bad smells and harmful emissions

Live Reporting

Written by Alex McIntyre and Sarah Portlock

  1. End of live coverage

    An aerial view of a landfill site on a field next to some houses.Reuters

    We are bringing our live coverage of Walleys Quarry Ltd's liquidation to a close. Thank you for joining us.

    Here is a summary of what has happened:

    • The Environment Agency (EA) said it was informed by Walleys Quarry Ltd that the company had entered liquidation
    • The agency said it would engage with liquidators, adding that they must comply with the environment permit and closure notice issued in November
    • Council leaders and MP Adam Jogee expressed their disappointment and frustration that the landfill's owner had "cut and run"
    • The landfill is now the responsibility of the EA, according to Mr Jogee
    • Walleys Quarry Ltd has yet to respond to requests for a comment on the liquidation

  2. MP says environment agency responsible for landfill

    Stuart George
    Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

    A man with glasses, a long coat, a white shirt and blue tie, stands outside the entrance to a landfill site.

    Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Adam Jogee said the Environment Agency (EA) was now responsible for managing the landfill.

    He said he had been in constant contact with the agency and that he was determined to hold Walleys Quarry Ltd to account.

    “We can’t allow profit over people to win the day,” he told BBC Radio Stoke.

    Mr Jogee said they now had the chance to work through the liquidation process, work out what it meant for the site and get to a place where the area could be “proud again”.

  3. 'Clean-up will be extremely expensive'

    Stuart George
    Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

    A man with short brown hair, wearing a black jacket, white shirt and red and blue tie, stands in the street.Staffordshire County Council

    Alan White told BBC Radio Stoke that Staffordshire County Council have had "lots and lots" of conversations with the Environment Agency (EA) about Walleys Quarry.

    He said the site had to be cleared up but it was not yet clear who would be taking responsibility for that work.

    “This is going to be an extremely expensive operation so we’ll have to talk to the Environment Agency and find out where those costs fall," he added.

  4. Council leader says residents 'must come first'

    Stuart George
    Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

    Alan White, leader of Staffordshire County Council, told BBC Radio Stoke that his first concern was for the residents affected.

    “Whatever this process of liquidation means and whatever the future looks like for the site, we must remember that residents must come first," he said.

    “We must keep an eye on the smells they’ve been subjected to and make sure their futures are secured, as the future of the site is secured post-liquidation.”

  5. What has Walleys Quarry Ltd said previously?

    Several waste disposal vehicles operating on a landfill site, situated behind a housing estate with trees in the background.Reuters

    In previous statements made in response to complaints about the landfill, Walleys Quarry Ltd repeatedly said it was working to minimise the impact of the site on residents.

    "The landfill site holds an environmental permit and is stringently regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) to ensure the onsite activities do not cause harm to human health or the environment," a spokesperson said previously.

    They said the management team recognised the impact the odours could have on residents and would continually inspect waste deliveries and commit investment on the landfill "to ensure that odour risks are managed and minimised".

    In response to the closure notice, Walleys Quarry Ltd said it rejected the EA's accusations of poor management and said keeping the landfill open delivered "the greatest benefit and sustainability for the site".

    The company appealed against the EA's closure notice in December.

  6. Capping and gas capture work 'largely carried out'

    As part of the closure notice issued in November, Walleys Quarry was required to "cap" the site and install further gas management infrastructure.

    Simon Tagg said he understood this work had been "largely carried out" before news of the company's liquidation emerged.

    “Although the situation appears to have improved in recent weeks, it’s vital that we keep raising this issue and if residents are affected by emissions they should continue to report them," he said.

  7. Council leader 'hugely disappointed'

    A man wearing a grey top and black jacket stands with his hands behind his back, in front of the entrance to a landfill.

    Simon Tagg, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said the Environment Agency (EA) remained the lead regulator of the site and would "now need to take control".

    “I am hugely disappointed but not at all surprised that Walleys Quarry Ltd, a company making what I understand was a substantial income, has not remained to honour its obligations to fully cap off and restore the landfill," he said.

    The authority served an abatement notice to the landfill in 2021, ordering it to control the odour emanating from the site.

    The council was then granted permission by the government last year to pursue legal action against Walleys Quarry Ltd for alleged breaches of the notice.

  8. 'This is mammoth'

    Stuart George
    Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

    A woman with long black hair and wearing a black hooded jumper and a blue jacket, stands on a road with a green fence and a housing estate behind her.

    Lee-Bernadette Walford, from the Stop the Stink campaign group, said residents got wind of Walleys Quarry Ltd's liquidation a couple of weeks ago.

    She said she was feeling “really good” because she had been concerned about the company's appeal against the closure notice being heard in May.

    “This is mammoth,” she added.

    Ms Walford described the issues the community faced over the past few years as “absolutely despicable” and accused the landfill of “blighting residents' lives”.

  9. Closure notice issued in November

    A number of people gathered at the side of a road smiling, some holding up drinks. One is blowing a whistle with her thumb held in the air.

    Following years of protests, the Environment Agency (EA) issued the landfill's owners with a closure notice on 28 November, which prevented it from accepting new waste.

    The agency accused Walleys Quarry Ltd of poor management and said the notice was issued after all other options had been exhausted.

    Residents gathered at the site on the day to celebrate, with several campaigners saying they were "delighted" by the news.

    Walleys Quarry Ltd rejected the EA's accusation of poor management and filed an appeal against the closure notice in December.

    "Keeping the site open delivers greatest benefit and sustainability for the site," a company spokesperson said.

  10. What is causing the smell?

    The stench has been put down to the chemical hydrogen sulphide, which has a smell of rotten eggs.

    Up to 400,000 tonnes of waste was being dumped annually in Walley's Quarry and, when it breaks down, it can produce hydrogen sulphide.

    The Environment Agency (EA) has long been monitoring levels of the chemical at the site and it was regularly found to have exceeded guideline levels.

    Studies have shown that exposure to high levels of hydrogen sulphide over time can lead to an increase in fatigue, irritability, headaches, poor memory, stress and nausea.

    Last year, the EA reported that the pollution detectors installed at the site in 2016 had been underreporting levels of the chemical - an issue discovered and corrected in August 2023.

  11. Why is the landfill so controversial?

    An aerial view of the Walleys Quarry landfill, pictured to the left of a housing estate.Reuters

    Walleys Quarry landfill is located close to a large number of houses in the village of Silverdale in Staffordshire.

    For a number of years, residents have complained about a foul stench emanating from the site, which eventually spawned the campaign group Stop the Stink.

    Some have claimed it has affected their health, including Rebecca Currie, who said it had impacted her son Mathew.

    "Mathew's consultant has again reported that the pollution from Walleys Quarry is shortening Mathew's life – it's killing him," she said.

    She recently launched legal action against the Environment Agency (EA) for a second time over its handling of the site.

  12. Restoration of site 'top priority'

    Adam Jogee said there was an "immediate need" to respond to the "disgraceful but unsurprising decision".

    "I have made it clear that the longer-term management and restoration of the site is my top priority," the Labour MP said.

    He added that he would be convening a meeting with all relevant parties at the earliest opportunity.

  13. 'The justice we need and deserve'

    Adam Jogee said the Environment Agency was at the site on Friday focusing on safety, technical assessments and continuing inspections.

    "Be under no doubt, there will be a time to ensure that the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme get the justice we need and deserve," the Newcastle-under-Lyme MP added.

    He assured constituents that the closure notice issued in November remained in place.

  14. This is no surprise - MP

    MP Adam Jogee wearing a dark green tie and dark blue suit jacket with a white shirt, stands in the House of Commons to speak while holding a piece of paper in his right handUK Parliament

    "This, in many ways, is no surprise," Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Adam Jogee said.

    "The operators at Walleys have been driven by profit over people, and now they have cut and run," he said.

    "It is an absolute disgrace and speaks to the failures surrounding the waste sector in our country."

    The MP said he was informed of the firm's intention to enter liquidation on Thursday night.

  15. Liquidation has no effect on firm's existence - EA

    The liquidation news has no effect on the existence of Walleys Quarry Ltd or the site's environmental permit.

    "The liquidators remain bound by the conditions of the permit and any statutory notices in relation to it that may have been issued," they said.

  16. 'We will engage with liquidators'

    The EA said it would engage with the liquidators "about their intentions for the site" as well as with its plans to comply with the environmental permit and closure notice.

    "We will continue to work with partner organisations and carry out air quality monitoring," the EA spokesperson said.

  17. Walleys Quarry owner enters liquidation

    The owner of the Walleys Quarry landfill has entered liquidation.

    The Environment Agency said it was informed by Walleys Quarry Ltd, which operates the site in Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, on Friday.

    The site has been at the centre of a row over foul smells which residents say have plagued them for years.

    It has been unable to accept any new waste since the end of November.

    We will be bringing you further details and reaction from the scene.