Walleys Quarry: Health officials can no longer trust data keeping track of fumes

Health officials from across Staffordshire and the UK have issued a joint statement voicing concerns about how noxious gases are being monitored around Walleys Quarry landfill.

It's after the Environment Agency who regulate the site in Silverdale admitted that their mobile units hadn't been recording accurate levels of the foul smelling gas hydrogen sulphide and in some cases figures had been under-reported.

"We cannot rely on this data to assess the risk to people’s health."

Spokespersons from Staffordshire County Council’s Public Health team, the UK Health Security Agency and the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board, jointly said: "The Environment Agency has published concerns about the accuracy of the hydrogen sulphide monitors around the Walleys Quarry landfill site.

"This means that we cannot rely on this data to assess the risk to people’s health.

"The risk of long-term health problems is small but cannot be excluded at this stage."

In their published statement, a spokesperson from the Environment Agency said: "We know the community will be disappointed and concerned by this news and we are sorry this has happened. Our immediate focus is on working with partners so together we can give the best information, advice and support to the community as quickly as possible.

"H2S (hydrogen sulphide) data collected by these analysers, including those currently at Walleys Quarry is likely to have a greater degree of uncertainty than previously understood.

"The results suggested it is likely that the original analyser had been under-reporting the levels of H2S. At this point we paused publishing of the data.

"The scale of this under-reporting will vary over time and between different H2S analysers in the MMFs. It is important that we understand this properly. We have sought advice from the manufacturer and are seeking further advice from independent experts to see if it is possible to reliably adjust the historic data to correct for this issue."

Conservative MP for Newcastle Aaron Bell, who has been actively involved for some time in the matter surrounding emissions from the site and the Environment Agency's regulation over the past few years is calling for a proper inquiry into the situation and a substantial apology.

"The community have been badly let down and deserve a proper apology." he said.

"We have all relied on the weekly numbers and I know that the dataset may well form part of the case for damages many residents are pursuing."

"We urgently need the EA to find a way (using independent experts) to restate all the historical data, correcting for the errors in calibration.

"This error has dented public confidence in the EA yet further, and I will of course be raising it in the House of Commons on my return."

Top government ministers have been made aware

"I have already spoken in person to both the Secretary of State and the Waste Minister expressing my shock and the anger." added Aaron.

"There must be a proper inquiry, with consequences, as to how this could have happened and gone undetected for so long. There must be a proper apology by the EA to everyone affected. And there must be a conclusion to the EA's regulatory investigation."

The response from the operator

A spokesperson from Walleys Quarry Ltd said: “Walleys Quarry Ltd is surprised and disappointed with the content of the EA update on the 5th of October. We will await further information from them to allow to us to better understand the full implications of this development.

“The statement made by the EA today does not detract from the work WQL has been undertaking which has seen significant reductions in reporting complaints attributed to the site and its operations.”

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