Environment Agency responds afer being called 'not fit for purpose' over Fleetwood landfill site

The Environment Agency (EA) has responded to claims that it is not fit for purpose and has not adequately monitored air quality at a stinking landfill site on the Fylde coast.

The government body acts as the primary environmental regulator for operational landfill sites in England and for the past two years has been monitoring the Jameson Road Landfill Site in Fleetwood.

Long-suffering residents have had to put up with odorous emissions from the site, run by Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates Ltd, for two years and have called for the site to close.

Aside from the vile stench of rotten eggs, some residents have complained of nosebleeds, headaches and breathing problems.

Despite the complaints, EA says it is holding Transwaste to account.

Air monitoring complaint

Campaigner Dr Barbara Kneale, of the campaign group Close Jameson Road Landfill (CJRL) has criticised the air monitoring results and health risk assessments provided by the EA as well as UK Health Security Agency(UKHSA) and LCC Public Health(LCCPH).

She says CJRL used a Freedom of Information request (FOI) to obtain the EA air monitoring data from the period from May 2024 until Jan 2026, which she says shows serious flaws in the information gathered by EA and raises concerns about the way it was used.

.Currently, there is a single mobile monitoring facility ( MMF) located on Copse Road , Fleetwood .

She said: “The EA have stated that it is used for Jameson Road Landfill regulatory purposes only . However, the UKHSA and other Public Health authorities have chosen to use this data without question to base their health risk assessments”

“This monitoring facility is not located in the optimal position to measure the actual Hydrogen Sulphide concentrations in the air affecting residents who live closer to the landfill.

“The nearest residential development is Harbour Village comprising of 332 houses located at 400- 500m from the landfill yet the monitor is 1.25 km away in a different direction.

“This means that the concentration of H2S is under-estimated at Harbour Village.”

What councillor says

Meanwhile, Cllr Rob Fail, leader of the Labour opposition group on Wyre Council, says the Environmental Agency’s inability to shut down the site suggests it is not fit for purpose.

He said: “The EA appear toothless in everything they do and their efforts on the Landfill have been ineffective.

“The operator has been doing the bare minimum to appease the EA – the upshot for residents is a living nightmare.

“There has been a lack of action against poorly performing privatised water companies that continue to rip off the public, and there’s been a lack of action against this particular environmental scandal.

“It’s time the EA were given the powers to protect residents. At the moment the organisation is not fit for purpose.”

What EA says

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “The community should not have to tolerate odour pollution and we have made this position clear to Transwaste, the site operator.

“We have required Transwaste to install cover material on to areas of the site where waste has recently been deposited to reduce odour and have pressed them to install permanent capping urgently to prevent future emissions. This permanent capping work has begun.

“Our regulatory officers are on the ground actively monitoring the situation, and if we don’t see improvements on site and a reduction in the levels of odour pollution from the site, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action.”

Recent Updates:

An Enforcement Notice was issued to Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates Ltd on 30 January 2026. This notice requires specific areas of the landfill to be adequately covered to reduce the risk of odour.

On the April 13, Transwaste started the process of permanently capping specific areas of the site,. This is in addition to installing additional gas wells.

Covering of waste at Cells 5 and 6 with inert material is now close to completion, with approximately 95–97% of these cells are fully covered.

A third-party consultant will oversee these works, and our landfill engineering specialists will also closely monitor this process to ensure that the operator carries out the works to the required standards and timescales.

EA added: “Whilst the work is underway, some odour pollution will likely still be noticeable, but we have required the operator to take steps to reduce this as much as practicable.

“We will share updates on Transwaste’s progress via our site specific website which can be found below.” https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/cumbria-and-lancashire/information-on-jameson-road-landfill-fleetwood/.

What Transwaste says

Transwaste says it welcomes the findings of the latest independent air quality monitoring study undertaken by the Environment Agency around the landfill site.

A spokesman said: “Over an extended monitoring period of 609 days (9 May 2024 to 7 January 2026), the survey measured concentrations of key air pollutants – including hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), methane (CH₄) and particulate matter (PM).

“These were consistently recorded within World Health Organisation (WHO), Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 (AQSR) and Air Quality Strategy 2023 AQS guideline limits and well within UK regulatory standards for the period.

“Across this sustained monitoring campaign, levels of hydrogen sulphide were below WHO health-based thresholds designed to protect against health effects. Even at the WHO odour annoyance level, the air quality was below the threshold for annoyance for 99.5% of the study period.”dy period.