“We have made it clear to Transwaste that the community should not have to tolerate odour pollution”
The Enviornment Agency will not hesitate to take further enforcement action if it does not see improvements at Fleetwood Jameson Road landfill site.
And closure is an option – albeit a long way down the road – if operators Transwaste do not deal with the toxic smell situation.
The lingering, putrid smell continues to affect people living in the town and have escalated their campaign to force Transwaste to deal with the situation through protests and public meetings.
Wyre Council issued the company with an abatement notice that is valid for 60s and they must tackle the nuisance smell effectively within that timescale.
An EA spokesperson said: “The community should not have to tolerate odour pollution and we have made this position clear to Transwaste, the site operator.
“Our regulatory action has led to the landfill site being fully covered to reduce odour risk. We have also pressed Transwaste to urgently install permanent capping of two landfill cells to prevent future odour emissions.
“Our officers are on the ground actively monitoring the situation, and if we don’t see improvements, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action.”
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Through an update on its dedicated engagment page on May 7, the agency stated that ‘If the operator does not demonstrate that odour can be effectively controlled, we will continue to escalate our regulatory response and consider all available options, including further restrictions or closure.’
It also said there have been 741 odour reports recorded so far in May.
While this is a reduction compared to April, where reports were 2,697, the level of odour remains unacceptable, and the agency recognise that it continues to affect residents’ quality of life.
The Regulation 36 Notice that was in force since 30 January 2026 has now been lifted. This is because the operator has now covered the selected areas with soil type material across cells 5 & 6. This does not mean that the issue is resolved, we still expect the operator to deliver a permanent cap on these cells.
The operator is drilling 6 new gas wells in Cell 6. The work was due to start on Monday and be completed by the end of this week. While this work is being carried out, there may be some localised off-site odour.
The agency landfill engineering specialists have seen the method statements and are overseeing this work to ensure it meets the required standards.
How to report odour complaints
Reporting helps us to understand the extent and impact of the pest and odour issues affecting the community.
We encourage people to report these issues to us on our 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 807060. You can also report odour online at gov.uk.
The Environmental Agency will have representatives at the Community Liaison Group meeting this week on Friday 15 May from 10am to 12pm.
