Stanway dad spends thousands to avoid rotting stench from landfill

A father-of-two is concerned over the odour coming from Bellhouse landfill site in Stanway near Colchester

A father-of-two said he has paid thousands for air conditioning after he was left unable to open his windows due to a "rotting stench" seeping into his home from a nearby landfill.

The man, who asked not to be named, has lived near the Bellhouse landfill site in Stanway, near Colchester, for almost three years.

He said he was worried about his children's health due to the smell.

An Environment Agency (EA) spokesperson said it had started an investigation.

The EA has received nine reports of the odour since 1 January.

The man said he would like to know what he and his family were breathing in.

He said: "Landfill gases are typically made up of methane, carbon dioxide and a whole host of other hydrocarbons and other nasty gasses that can cause a whole load of health implications."

'Summer of hell'

The man said he experienced a "summer of hell" last year after being left unable to open his windows and doors due to the smell.

He added that he had spent £7,000 on air conditioning in order to keep his home cool without opening the doors and windows.

"When it is at its peak during daylight hours, we cannot use the garden," he said.

"We do not dry our clothes outdoors."

He claimed that, over the past few years, residents have seen a "huge increase in waste lorries going into the site and dropping their landfill black bags there, which has given rise to a huge increase of unwanted odours and obnoxious odours in the local area".

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The landfill site is owned by the waste-management service, Enovert. A spokesperson said: "Enovert agreed to undertake works to minimise the potential for odour relating to both landfill gas and waste accepted at the site.

"These works included the drilling of additional gas collection wells, installation of temporary capping and increasing the application of daily cover materials over the non-hazardous waste the site is permitted to accept.

"We have provided updates on these works to the EA and members of the site liaison committee for sharing with the wider community."

An EA spokesperson added: "We are investigating recent reports of odour thought to be from the site, including the report from the weekend.

"There are potentially several odours that could be attributed to the landfill, landfill gas and waste, however there are other potential sources of odour in the local area."