It isn't often in my experience that household waste dumps are found on the tops of mountains

Report author David Purchon

However, its author David Purchon told BBC Wales that in his view the site should be "engineered to a close".

"There's a great deal to ensure that the pollution water is managed in the future because it has been a problem for 25 years," he said.

Polluted water from the site had flown into the community of 20,000 households from the industrial site, he said.

His report recommends further investigations into allegations of a link with health problems in the area.

Amgen Rhondda Ltd, which operates the site, has welcomed the report, and has said it will provide further comment to the Welsh Assembly if necessary.

The report follows a year-long investigation into pollution, workings and history of the tip, once it is published.

Protesters, who have campaigned against the site for 10 years, want it shut down immediately.

However, it is likely to be two to three years before the council is in a position to close the tip.

Residents in the Rhondda are now preparing for a meeting on Monday to discuss the report.

'Exposed site'

Mr Purchon has admitted he was surprised when he saw the landfill site.

"It isn't often in my experience that household waste dumps are found on the tops of mountains," he said.

"I was very surprised at how exposed the site was, and how difficult it would be to operate it without causing nuisance in the surrounding area."

Speaking on BBC Wales, Mr Purchon was asked about the possibility of information about the project being covered up.

"It is a surprise that so little information was available about how the whole project was funded, designed, supervised and managed," he said.

Council criticised

The issue goes back to the early 1980s when the then Rhondda Borough Council gave itself planning permission to open the site.

The report also criticises Rhondda Cynon Taff council, saying it lacked the will and mechanisms to control the company that was running the site.

Local residents have critcised the landfill site

Mr Purchon told BBC Wales he believed that local people had "legitimate grounds for expressing their dissatisfaction with the public services that are there to serve them and protect them."

Councillor Syd Morgan is keen for the site to close as soon as possible, and is keen to find alternatives for dealing with the waste.

"That has proved a difficult thing to do, but we are about to deliver on that programme," he said.

Residents have until January to respond to the document, which will be debated by the assembly in the spring.

Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council holds all of the shares of Amgen Rhondda Limited, which now runs the site.

The local authority's new waste strategy foresees the total closure of the site within three years.