Odorous Fleetwood landfill site suspended again by Environment Agency as residents as far as Bispham complain

The Jameson Road Landfill site in Fleetwood, operated by Transwaste Ltd, has been criticised by angry residents over the rotten eggs stench and concerns of the potential harm to health.

There have been placard demonstrations, public meetings and Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers has protested to the Environment Agency (EA), calling for powers to be used to shut the site down.

Recently residents as far away as Norbreck and Bispham have complained of the smell, which has been troubling long-suffering residents in Fleetwood, Over Wyre, Thornton and Cleveleys for longer.

A new public meeting has also been organised for next week, to be held at Fleetwood Football Club’s Parkside Suite on Thursday April 3, at 6.30pm to 8.30pm .

Today (Thursday March 27) EA, which has been monitoring the landfill site since last year, released a new statement, saying activities at the site had been suspended - just as they were last year.

John Neville, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “We have issued a suspension notice to the operator of Jameson Road landfill.

“This means Transwaste must stop accepting landfill waste until it completes work to control the cause of odours which continue to affect the local community.

“We are carrying out daily odour checks and regular site inspections and will monitor the progress of work outlined in the conditions of the notice. While serving the notice will not stop the odour immediately, we expect it will start to reduce as work progresses.

“If the situation does not improve we will consider further enforcement action.”

The EA says that during February, it received a significant increase in complaints – 1125 compared to 270 in January and 21 in December. It has continued to receive complaints during March (994 so far, up to March 20.

The conditions of the suspension notice include requirements to increase gas extraction at the site.The deadline for this work being completed is April 10 2025.

EA added: “We have made it clear to the operator that it needs to bring the landfill gas and resulting odours under control and ensure that all resources are focused on addressing the site’s impact on people and the environment.

“We understand the impact the odours are having on the community and we will consider further enforcement action if we do not see improvements.

“The Mobile Monitoring Facility (MMF) remains in place in a secure location close to the landfill. This continuously monitors different substances - methane, hydrogen sulphide and particulates (dust). This does not provide real time data but we will be publishing a report with its findings as soon as we are able to.”

Meanwhile, there will be a public meeting to discuss the ongoing issues, to be held at Fleetwood Football Club’s Parkside Suite on Thursday April 3, at 6.30pm to 8.30pm .

The Environment Agency’s hotline to complain about the smell is 0800 80 70 60.