Walleys Quarry: Campaigners say closure will improve mental health

A week on since a controversial Newcastle landfill was told to close, people living around it say there's now hope for their mental health to start improving.

The Environment Agency put an end to all waste being dumped at Walleys Quarry citing poor management by the operator and concerns over long-term pollution from the foul smelling noxious fumes.

GPs and health officials had said the issue was causing significant mental health challenges and that the longer the problem went on the more the community’s wellbeing would worsen.

Dr Mick Salt, active campaigner and scientific advisor to the Stop The Stink campaign recently opened up about how the fight for clean air took a monumental toll on his mental health, which eventually led to a breakdown.

"My mental health declined and it took me a good two years to recover from that." he said.

"It leaves you with a deep distrust of the authorities when there is something so evidently wrong. I've been involved in this fight for more than 4 years now, and it finally feels like the tables have turned. This closure is absolutely fantastic. It's absolutely what this community was aiming for."

Campaigner Simmo Burgess said: "It's not just a case of a smell. It's a health emergency at the end of the day. People's mental health and their conditions were always getting worse.

"It's amazing. I never thought the closure would happen."

A recent Community Impact Study conducted by Arcadis and commissioned by Staffordshire County Council also highlighted the scale of the emotional distress odours and problems at the site were having.

In a summary statement on community impacts, it reads: 'The ongoing situation at Walleys Quarry has led to significant health and mental health challenges for individuals in the area. Elevated levels of hydrogen sulphide exposure have resulted in short-term health symptoms like headaches, nausea, and respiratory issues.

'The UK Health Security Agency has raised concerns about potential long-term health risks for those exposed. In terms of mental health and wellbeing, anecdotal evidence from community engagement has highlighted levels of stress and anxiety for many residents living in the vicinity of the landfill site who experience a lack of control over their environment (using words like "stuck" or "imprisoned” to describe their situation).

'Evidence from GP prescribing data shows an increase in the prevalence of depression within nine of the ten GP surgeries in closest proximity to Walleys Quarry, although this trend is noted across the wider North Staffordshire area.'

Katie Spence, from the UK Health Security Agency, welcomed the notice, but said that there would still be a need for continued monitoring of the site ‘for the foreseeable future’. She said: “The closure notice, although we absolutely welcome that, is not a situation that means that we are going to see all odour being prevented. That is a really important point. Clearly now we’re going to be going through a process of understanding what this next stage looks like, and what the consequences will be for odour and the local population.

“We would expect the monitoring to continue and for that information to be shared with us on an ongoing basis. That is something we would envisage should be in place for the foreseeable future. So potentially it is a positive next step, but certainly not a next step that suggests we are in a resolved position from a health point of view.”

The UK Health Security Agency has for some time said they're aware that some people are experiencing short-term health effects associated with emissions from Walleys Quarry and that the risk of long-term health problems is likely to be small but cannot be excluded.

It states that symptoms like headaches, nausea, watery eyes, stuffy nose, coughs, and stress are more likely when the odours exceed the WHO annoyance level.

Additional mental health support has also been available to help people experiencing emotional distress.

Jennie Collier, Managing Director at the Midlands Partner Foundation NHS Trust said: “People living in the area around Walleys Quarry who contact the Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Wellbeing Service are reporting the odour from the site is having a detrimental impact on their mental health. This has manifested itself as depression, anxiety, stress, sleep disorders and other issues.”

Walleys Quarry has the right to appeal our decision to issue a Closure Notice, which must be made within 2 months of the date the Closure Notice is issued. If there is an appeal, an Inspector appointed by the Planning Inspectorate will hear it and decide whether to quash or affirm the Notice.

A spokesperson for Walleys Quarry said: "We are clear that keeping the site open delivers greatest benefit and sustainability for the site.

"We will challenge this decision using all available options. Walleys Quarry have made extensive factual and legal submissions to the Environment Agency which in our view they have not substantively engaged with.

"As a business we completely reject the accusations made by the Environment Agency relating to poor management of the landfill site."

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