Landfill site stench 'has never been as bad'

People living near a tip which has sparked more than 20,000 complaints because of the stench have said the smell is worse than ever.

Residents and a local MP have called for the closure of the landfill site on Jameson Road in Fleetwood, with scores of people gathering to protest again earlier.

The complaints hit an all time high of nearly 4,000 this month according to the Environment Agency (EA) in a response to a BBC Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

The EA said it was pressing operator, Transwaste, to install permanent capping, a barrier which helps to control gas and keep smells in, "as soon as possible". Transwaste said it would start capping on Monday.

The operator added that air quality was "well within World Health Organisation safety limits".

About 100 people demonstrated after marching to the gates at 10:00 GMT, chanting "stop the stench".

One said: "We live by the sea we should be able to breathe fresh air."

They called for an end to two years of, what they called, an"intolerable smell" from the tip.

Lorraine Beavers, Labour MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, backed their call for the site to shut permanently.

"The town's had enough, the people have had enough," she said.

Beavers added: "It is like a merry-go-round - the EA come and it gets cleaned up and three to six weeks later it is back.

"It has never been as bad - at the weekend they had more then 800 complaints."

Dave McPartlin, head teacher of nearby Flakefleet Primary, said: "It has been that bad that the kids haven't wanted to play out at playtime."

"We've had this month after month year after year - it wouldn't happen in the wealthy commuter belt in Surrey [for example].

He said it felt an affront to "our proud working class town".

Since January 2024, the site has faced complaints for years, with some residents claiming it has affected their health.

EA said there were five initial complaints in that first month but it had grown to a total of 20,139 to date.

Last year, the EA had 10,665 complaints and this year the figure is 5,480 which includes a spike of 3,972 for March up to Tuesday, according to the FOI data.

An EA spokesperson said: "The community should not have to tolerate odours that affect their environment.

"We have pushed the operator to cover areas of the site where waste has recently been deposited to reduce odour and are pressing them to install permanent capping as soon as possible to prevent future emissions.

"Environment Agency 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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