Penrith Pong: Call for action amid further smell complaints

Omega Proteins on the outskirts of Penrith has been at the centre of complaints about smells for several years

People living near an animal rendering plant have again called for action over odours they say are coming from the site.

Residents have complained for decades about the Omega Proteins factory on the outskirts of Penrith, Cumbria, which processes remains from abattoirs.

The smell - known as the Penrith Pong - has been described as "overwhelming".

The factory's owners say they have spent more than £100m over a decade on odour control technology.

Residents held a meeting at a community centre on Monday to discuss the issue.

Jeff Thomson, who leads the Fresh Air for Penrith campaign group, said: "Residents are still having to live with the odour of animal rendering.

"They should be running the plant without odour leaks.

"We have to shut our windows, we can't have barbecues or hang washing outside."

People the BBC spoke to in the town described the odour as "horrible", "absolutely terrible" and "overwhelming".

Campaigner Jeff Thomson says the odours affect residents' daily lives

It is understood the number of complaints has risen significantly compared to the same period last year.

Leo Group Ltd, which owns the plant, said it "creates new products from what is considered waste" including pet food and oils for use in a number of industries including cosmetics and aviation.

In a statement, it explained it used "thermal oxidisers that combust all odorous compounds at temperatures in excess of 850°C" to remove stronger smells as well as chemical scrubbers and large biofilters to "treat the less intense indoor air of buildings".

The company said: "To constantly monitor perceived odours emanating from the factory, we employ three odour checkers who aim to attend the location of an odour complaint within 15 minutes.

"When our odour checkers arrive on site, there is usually no smell, or the complainant comments the smell has 'just stopped'.

"Sometimes we can also say with certainty that the smell is not coming from our site because the wind is blowing in a completely different direction."

It has organised a meeting on 2 August at Newton Rigg Campus to explain the on-site operations and the actions taken to contain the smell.

The Environment Agency said its officers were carrying out "increased monitoring and visits of the site to determine the source of the smell and make clear that the company must take action to address any issues which could be leading to this".