Council issues formal complaint to Environment Agency over Walleys Quarry regulation
It's claimed the landfill has been emitting odours affecting quality of life
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has sent an official letter of complaint to the head of the Enviroment Agency over a landfill reducing the quality of life in the area.
Walleys Quarry landfill, located near Newcastle and nearby Stoke-on-Trent, has been emitting 'foul' odours into the community.
The Environment Agency had committed to regulating the landfill so that the amount of air pollution would be reduced.
However, following the assessment from the agency in 2021, little has been done to tackle the smell, which continues to spread across the town.
In a report to be published next week, it was found that hydrogen sulphide - a highly corrosive and poisonous substance - was drastically filling the air, impacting the lives of nearby residents throughout January.
As a result, councillors and politicians have sent a letter of official complaint to the head of the Environment Agency, calling on the government department to practice what they preach.
In total, the Council had received over 22,000 complaints from residents about the site in 2021, making up over two thirds of environmental complaints made in the year.
Speaking about the need to complain to the agency, Council Leader Simon Tagg said the situation was unacceptable for people living close to the site.
"A year on we seem to be no closer to addressing the key question – when will this stink be stopped? The Environment Agency holds the responsibility for regulating the site and because of their continued failure we are lodging a formal complaint about the effectiveness of its regulatory approach," he said.
“The operator-led approach of managing landfill gas through a strategy of “contain, capture and destroy” remains in place but it leaves the community with no visibility on a credible plan to direct remediation of the problem.
"This in turn leaves no clarity on the issue of when the odours will stop to be a problem for residents. It’s still a massive issue which is causing a lot of misery."