Massive rise in complaints over 'stagnant' smell

Complaints about the recurrence of a 'stagnant' smell linked to a local landfill have risen hugely in a month.

The Environment Agency (EA) says it received more than 100 complaints in February about the recurrence of the odour in and around Calne in Wiltshire, after only receiving 16 in January.

Residents hoped the long-running problem had been resolved in June 2025, when the EA linked the problem to escaping gas from the Lower Compton landfill site operated by Hills Waste Solutions.

In a statement, Hills said it was aware of the rise in complaints and was "liaising with the Environment Agency to confirm the precise nature of the issues reported".

Last summer the EA served Hills with an enforcement notice, ordering the company to finish a programme of landfill capping to trap gas and reduce odours escaping from the site.

The agency added that it was working "to establish the impact on the community, identify specific sources, and ensure action is taken to bring odour back to minimal levels".

Residents have variously described the smell as eggy, gassy or stagnant, but its strength appears to differ across the town, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Local councillor Bobby Seymour said that residents had "had enough".

"We need to find the source of it, and we need to stop relying on the goodwill of residents to keep reporting an issue that they clearly know exists.

"It's a concern for residents across the town," he said.

Resident Greg Widger said the problem had got noticeably worse at certain times.

"If you get a still, quiet evening or a morning, you notice it much more and it can be quite bad indeed.

"Whatever was done last year - although it made a difference temporarily - doesn't seem to be working now," he added.

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