Walleys Quarry: Council calls for government action as data reveals higher historic air pollution
Figures have been published to correct air monitoring mistakes around the landfill
Last updated 21st Aug 2024
The leader of Staffordshire County Council is calling on the government to urgently step in and put an end to issues around a highly complained about Newcastle landfill.
It's as new revised air monitoring data reveals a more accurate picture of what's been in the air over the last few years around Walleys Quarry in Silverdale.
The Environment Agency has mobile air monitoring stations positioned at locations surrounding Walleys Quarry which record the levels of hydrogen sulphide - a foul smelling noxious gas - but last year they revealed the equipment inside their stations hadn't been working properly.
After bringing experts on board to conduct data ratification, the Environment Agency has now released a set of corrected graphs showing hydrogen sulphide levels in the air during periods from 2021 to 2023.
The new data shows higher concentrations of the gas in the air during this period meaning the levels were being underreported for a significant length of time.
Alan White, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said: “The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for regulating Walleys Quarry on behalf of us all and for several years has based its words and actions on flawed readings."
Alan continued: “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and carry on supporting residents as best we can, but this has gone on far too long for us all.
“However, given that local councils do not have the expertise or capacity to resolve this problem and the size and scale of it appears beyond the EA, we reiterate our call for urgent and decisive action from the Government to end this.
“While the need to resolve the problem is the priority, we firmly believe the Secretary of State should also commission a public inquiry into the EA’s governance of this site to provide residents with answers and to allow lessons to be learned for the future.”
Repeated calls for the government to launch a public inquiry
Following Environment Agency publication of revised data that showed increases of Hydrogen Sulphide levels at monitoring stations close to Walleys Quarry, Simon Tagg, the Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, noted:
- relative increases in recorded levels at MMF1 and MMF2 were marked, although MMF9 remains the monitor with the highest overall readings;
- Some data from 2021 has not been recalculated;
- The UK Health Security Agency has qualified its health advice because it does not have accurate data from one of the worst periods.
Simon Tagg said: “Residents have lived with the turmoil and upset of this problem of gas odours from Walleys Quarry for too long, and these months of delay and uncertainty while the flawed air quality figures have been recalculated has only added to their distress.
“We know that they suffer sleepless nights and breathing difficulties, that being in this situation in their own homes affects their wellbeing and that we have a situation where parents find themselves trying to stop their children from playing in the garden.
“The Environment Agency is the principal regulatory body for Walleys Quarry and for years now, based on its monitoring, it has been telling us that the situation is in hand and that improvements are being made.
“We note the latest advice from the UK Health Security Agency remains that the likely impact on long term health remains low, however whole communities remain plagued by these foul odours and this council remains committed to seeing this site closed, fully capped off and restored.
“There also need to be a full public inquiry into the regulatory failure of the Environment Agency over a long period.”
Recently, Newcastle Borough Council wrote to the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) requesting permission to take the legal action because DEFRA oversees the Environment Agency – which is the body responsible for regulating the site. In July Steve Reed OBE, Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) granted permission to proceed.
A special Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council scrutiny committee was also held over two days to gather evidence from the community and those dealing with the landfill site about the problems, missed opportunities and next steps.
The Environment Agency said in an online statement that they first became aware of an issue with the hydrogen sulphide (H2S) data being recorded during a routine audit on 21 August 2023.
"We are sorry that this happened and for the concern that it caused." they said.
"We immediately began an investigation. We concluded that the issue arose from a misunderstanding about the calibration procedures when we purchased the new analysers in 2016.
"We have updated the calibration procedure in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations and are confident in the H2S data we have been collecting since 1 September 2023 for all MMFs. "
A spokesperson for Walleys Quarry said: “The Landfill site holds an environmental permit and is stringently regulated by the Environment Agency to ensure the onsite activities do not cause harm to human health or the environment as we play a vital role in offering residual waste disposal supporting wider recycling services.
"The management team will review the data published as part of our ongoing monitoring of the landfill site. We also recognise the impact that odours can have for local residents, and the team is focused on managing the site to minimise impacts to the community around the site and we will continue to do so.”