Dorket Head landfill: Odour 'not a risk to human health'

A temporary 'plastic cap' is due to be installed at Dorket Head

Levels of landfill gas at a site that residents say is so smelly it keeps them up at night do not pose an immediate risk to human health, the Environment Agency (EA) says.

Odours at Dorket Head in Arnold are being monitored, with a meeting taking place earlier to discuss the issue.

A comprehensive odour assessment is due to be held after further work this month.

The smells have been blamed on an increase in recycled and organic waste.

Wells to extract gases from the area, which were installed in November, are being monitored, the EA said.

'Unacceptable odour'

A temporary "plastic cap" it described as roughly the size of a football pitch, is due to be installed later in January.

EA said once that work was completed it could undertake a comprehensive odour assessment to assess whether these measures had reduced it to an "acceptable" level.

Site operator FCC Environment and representatives from Gedling Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council were present at the meeting.

A spokesman for EA said: "We continue to respond to complaints of odour and have detected landfill gas (and) we maintain our position that this is causing unacceptable odour.

"However, the detected levels of landfill gas measured in the period November to January remain very low and do not pose an immediate risk to human health."

It said the group would meet again in late February to assess the situation.