Council: Help us take action on stinking landfill emissions by filling in diaries

The authority has come under some criticism from long-suffering residents in Fleetwood and the surrounding areas for not doing enough about the problem.

In a tumultuous meeting of full council on Thursday, campaigners against the Jameson Road landfill site in Fleetwood said the council should serve an abatement notice on the site because the chemical stench should be classed as a statutory nuisance, and also take action on the site lease because the council is landlord of the site.

But the council says it only has the power to act within limitations set by the law - and it says the public can play a vital part.

Residents say the disgusting stench, likened to rotten eggs, is bad enough but there are also health concerns, as some people have reported nosebleeds, headaches and breathing problems.

There is anger over the issue because the noxious fumes have been troubling residents for more than a year, but only last week landfill operators Transwaste were able to continue taking waste again after the Environment Agency lifted a suspension in activities, stating that Transwaste had met the condition of the supension order.

In a new statement after the full council meeting, the authority says it understands the significant impact this issue is having on the community and is committed to finding a long-lasting solution as a priority.

It says it is actively exploring all options to secure an enduring solution to the odour issue, ensuring that residents can enjoy their homes and gardens without disruption.

The Environment Agency, which regulates day-to-day activities at Jameson Road, holds the primary UK legislation for controlling unwanted odour from landfill sites and Wyre says this is the most effective way of addressing the ongoing concerns about odours.

As such, the council says it is working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure this legislation is enforced appropriately and in full force to control any unwanted odours from the site.

However, Wyre Council also continues to gather detailed evidence to satisfy the criteria for statutory nuisance action and build a robust case under the statutory nuisance powers it holds.

What chief executive says

Rebecca Huddleston, Chief Executive of Wyre Council, said: “We need residents to help us collect the evidence needed to exercise our powers of statutory nuisance on their behalf.

“We are committed to ending this issue, but we cannot do this alone. We need the help of our residents to do so.

“This means completing diary sheets to record the impact the smell is having on the use and enjoyment of their properties and enabling council officers to visit their homes or workplaces to evidence the impact of the odours they are experiencing. Our sincere thanks go to those who have submitted this crucial information to us so far”.

The council says it will ensure diary sheets are easily accessible to all residents by providing copies to all Councillors, having these in as many libraries, schools, shops and doctors’ surgeries as possible and will make copies available to collect at all Council venues.

It says it will also ensure copies are resent to everyone who has made a complaint so far, along with a pre-paid envelope for residents to submit these back to the council.

How residents can help

Residents can contribute to the council’s investigation by providing evidence of how you have been impacted by odours from the Jameson Road Landfill site. Please take the following steps to help us satisfy the criteria we need for statutory nuisance action to be undertaken.

• Download the odour diary sheets here Odour Diary Sheet and complete these to describe how the odour has impacted you. These can be printed and completed by hand to post back to us, or you can complete the diary electronically and return this to us by email. Diary Sheets are an essential part of any odour investigation as they document the detail of each incident of odour and allow you to say how the odour affects you and your family.

• View the odour diary sheet guidance here Completing the diary sheet which provides clear instructions on how you can complete the diary sheet as effectively as possible. Some briefer instructions are below but we advise to read the guidance in full by using the link above.

• All completed diary sheets should be submitted via email to [email protected] or by post to Environmental Protection, Wyre Council, Civic Centre, Breck Road, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, FY6 7PU. Residents can also hand these into reception at the Civic Centre.

• Once you have submitted your completed odour diary sheets you will receive a response from an officer from the council’s Environmental Protection Team.

• The council will respond to all diary sheet submissions including offering residents manned monitoring of the odour from their property. Such monitoring is necessary to enable the council to gather the necessary evidence to take forward a case of statutory odour nuisance.

• If you have submitted detail of an odour impact using the Report It form Odour complaint - Jameson Road | Instructions – Wyre Council your correspondence will be registered as a complaint and the information you have provided will be used to inform the council’s ongoing investigation into odours from the site.

• Please note that if at any time you are concerned about your health, please contact either your GP or NHS 111 who will be able to provide you with health advice.

• As lead regulator the Environment Agency are encouraging anyone affected by odour from the Jameson Road landfill to register a complaint on their complaint hotline – Telephone 0800 807060. You are therefore encouraged to do this if you have not done so already.

Can you find out more?

We want to keep you informed about our activity and the actions we are taking in relation to the issue of unwanted odour from Jameson Road Landfill Site and help you to submit the detailed evidence we need to satisfy the criteria for statutory nuisance action to be undertaken.

• We will create a dedicated webpage to our website to host information so that you can stay up to date with what is happening.
• Residents will be able to sign up to our database to be notified when we add new information or updates to the webpage.