'Horrendous' landfill making villagers miserable
BBCVillagers living near a landfill site have said it smells "horrendous" and the amount of rubbish had grown bigger since a new manager took over.
Glen Shaw of Rockcliffe, near Carlisle, said he was forced to keep his windows shut and the odour was so dreadful he could almost "taste" it.
Manchester-based waste management firm Seletia, which runs the site at Hespin Wood, said it did not believe the smell was being caused by its operation.
Cumberland Council confirmed it was looking into issues at the site and Environment Agency (EA) said it had "stepped up" monitoring the landfill after an increase in complaints.
Shaw, who lives a quarter of a mile from the site, said he could not enjoy his outdoor space.
"You can't get away from it, even with the windows shut," he said.
"It woke me up at one o'clock in the morning once and I was tasting it, not just smelling it."
The 47-year-old said he was worried about heating costs because he has to dry washing indoors.
He also said he was worried about a fly infestation in the summer.
Louise Robertson, who lives in Rockcliffe, said people had become more concerned in recent months as the landfill had grown in height.
"We've watched it growing into a mountain-sized tip," she said.
"You don't feel like you're breathing clean air and it's blighting every day living."
The 62-year-old said pupils at Rockcliffe CofE Primary School could see the "mountain" when they played outdoors.
Pauline Tyler said she had been suffering from migraines which she believes are linked to the smell.
"Migraine sufferers can be sensitive to smells and I'm realising now that that's what's triggering it," she said.
Residents also have concerns about the number of delivery lorries accessing the site, with many using the access road next to the M6 motorway.
The 68-year-old said some were coming from as far as Scotland, Wales and the Midlands.
"You could perhaps appreciate it and accept it if it was our own rubbish," she said.
"But why should we be accepting waste from elsewhere?"
'Within permitted heights'
Seletia said it was not the only company using the site.
"Although Seletia sympathises with the public's complaints about smells, it does not believe they are caused by the landfill operations.
"We are surrounded by other operators at the same site that generate waste-related smells from the treatment of waste.
"A topographical survey is being carried out, we expect the survey will confirm the site is compliant and within permitted heights."
Cumbria Waste Group, which also uses the site, said the smell was connected to specific waste activities which it did not carry out and that it had not detected any odours in its work area.
AW Jenkinson said it only dealt with wood and green waste on the site, and that there was nothing in its operation that could produce a smell.
It also said it had been working there for years and had never received any complaints.
Seletia's other Cumbrian landfill site near Newbiggin, which has been the subject of complaints in recent months, is currently under an EA suspension notice meaning it cannot receive new waste.
EA, which authorises and monitors permits for landfill sites, said some smells were to be expected but that operators had to have measures in place to minimise impact.
"Given a recent increase in complaints, we are concerned that this may not be happening and are stepping up our regulatory activity in response," it said.
Cumberland Council said that although the site's permit was the responsibility of the EA, it had received complaints related to its planning conditions, and was talking to the site's operator.
