Norfolk abattoir fined over smell that made locals "physically sick"
Banham Poultry will have to pay £300,000 after being taken to court by the Environment Agency
Last updated 29th Sep 2022
A Norfolk abattoir has been fined £300,000 after failing to deal with the smell of "rotting bodies and flesh" over a period of around two years.
The Environment Agency says it had nearly 350 complaints from locals about the Banham Poultry site in Attleborough, with many describing a 'putrid smell' that made them 'physically sick'.
The court head the abattoir was in need of urgent repairs, with broken doors and walls, as well as a leaky roof.
Part of the site was deemed too unsafe for inspectors to visit.
The smell, believed to come from animal waste and blood being kept on the site before disposal, left people unable to enjoy their gardens or go aside during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
Investigators found poor housekeeping on site, a lack of staff training and "chronic" problems with the way the site was being run.
People living in Station Road, Maurice Gaymer Road and New North Road were worst hit by the stench.
The company pleaded guilty to failing to keep activities free from odour levels likely to cause pollution outside the abattoir between January 2019 and September 2021.
Banham also admitted not complying with an enforcement notice served on it by the Environment Agency.
As well as the fine, the company will have to pay around £67,000 in costs.
Sophie Cousins, who led the investigation into the abattoir for the Environment Agency, said:
“Banham Poultry failed to invest in odour-prevention. People living and working nearby were badly affected over a long period of time.
“The Environment Agency decided on prosecution after Banham missed many chances to comply with the law. We gave them time and assistance to put matters right, but the problems just mounted up.”
"The site’s odour management plan, meant to control the effect of work on the community, was “ripped up,” according to one employee.
"Another member of staff wrote in an e-mail in 2019 they were “embarrassed…” and couldn’t defend the company’s poor management of the site, adding “we stink.”
"The Environment Agency consistently told Banham the plan either didn’t contain the necessary measures to prevent odour pollution, or procedures weren’t being followed.
"Banham either responded to the warnings very late or simply ignored them."