“This toxic stench continues to cause harm.”
A controversial landfill site has been told it can continue to take in waste but only if it doesn’t stink.
For years, residents have complained of the rotten stench coming from the Jameson Road site in Fleetwood. Earlier this year hundreds marched demanding the closure of the waste dump which they say stinks of sulphur and rotten eggs.
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Today, the Environment Agency (EA) announced a change to the licence of the site, which has been operated by Transwaste since 2023. The firm can now only accept waste which does not break down or produce odours.
The firm will only accept ‘inert’ waste such as soil and bricks and must cap a cell on the southern area off the site to reduce the stench. And they must submit a plan for continuous hydrogen sulphide monitoring with four or more monitors around the boundary of the site.
Hydrogen Sulphide is a flammable gas known for its characteristic rotten egg odour. It poses a significant health risk in high concentrations. Transwaste can appeal the Environment Agencies changes, but they will remain in place until they do.
‘Thrilled’
Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers, who has called for the site to be shut, said she was “thrilled” by the announcement but added allowing Transwaste to do their own monitoring was like letting them “mark their own work”.
She said pressure was mounting for the firm to leave Fleetwood following Wyre Council’s recent abatement order and thousands of complaints from locals. “This toxic stench continues to cause harm while local people fear the long-term health impacts for themselves, their children and their family,” said the MP.
“When speaking to staff from a local care home recently, I heard how this stench leaves residents feeling too nauseous to eat. Local businesses also continue to see customers leave and never return.”
Ms Beavers believes Transwaste’s plans must include information on how the data will be processed, verified and released.
She said: “Thank you to the Environment Agency and Wyre Council for their recent actions, but this is not their win, or mine. It belongs to the communities of Fleetwood, Thornton, Cleveleys, Over Wyre, Blackpool and, most of all, the incredible campaigners who will never give up.
“This is not the end, but I am absolutely thrilled by this news, it is a huge step forward and the move to inert waste will finally hit Transwaste where it hurts – in their pockets.”
‘The community should not have to tolerate odour pollution’
John Neville, area environment manager for the EA, said: “The community should not have to tolerate odour pollution and we have made this clear to Transwaste. This permit variation will reduce future odour risk by preventing wastes being landfilled that cause the odour experienced by the community.
“We continue to press the operator to permanently cap two landfill cells as quickly as possible to control odour. If we do not see improvements, we will not hesitate to take further action.”
At the beginning of this month, Wyre Council issued an abatement notice to Transwaste giving the firm 60 days to stop the stench. The notice ordered them “to implement measures that will prevent unwanted odour… from unreasonably affecting people at their homes or places of work”.
Council leader Michael Vicent said the abatement notice was “not something that is going to immediately make things better for people”. But he added: “We want to keep the pressure on Transwaste to get them to do what they need to do, so that people can have their lives back.”
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After receiving the notice, Transwaste said it operated within the conditions of its Environment Agency Permit, which was confirmed at the time by the EA.
The waste operators said its programme of works “includes the permanent capping works, multiple phases of deep gas well installation, an expanded landfill gas extraction network and continuous independent monitoring.”
In July 2024, the firm was served a suspension notice to stop accepting waste until work was done to control the cause of the smells. The suspension was withdrawn the following April after Transwaste met the conditions.
