'The smell from Fleetwood's landfill is so bad I'm forced to choose between a seizure or opening a window'
Residents living near the Jameson Road landfill site say they are being forced to make impossible choices over their health as pressure mounts on regulators and politicians to close the site early.
Campaigners gathered outside the landfill in Fleetwood on Saturday, January 17, to protest against persistent foul smells which they say have blighted daily life across the Wyre for months.
Among those attending was Carol Jumbleton, from Cleveleys, who said that living with epilepsy means she is forced to choose between keeping her home cool or avoiding the stench.
“I live with epilepsy, and one of the things that puts me at risk is heat,” she said. “If it gets too hot I need to have my windows open.
“In summer, I make a choice between having a stink in my house to keep it cool, or keeping the windows closed to keep the stench out, but then I run the risk of a seizure.
“So I’m making a choice between a stink and a seizure. That’s not a choice I should have to make.”
MP backs early closure calls
The protest follows months of complaints about odours from the Jameson Road landfill, operated by Transwaste, which residents frequently liken to rotten eggs.
The site’s lease, owned by Wyre Council, is due to expire at the end of 2027, but campaigners are calling for its closure much sooner.
Labour MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, Lorraine Beavers, joined residents outside the site and said the smell had spread far beyond Fleetwood.
“There’s not any clean air around this place with that smell. You can taste it, it’s so bad some days,” she said.
“Nobody should have to live like this. You should be able to open your windows in the summer, go for a walk along that beautiful promenade and breathe in the sea air, not those noxious fumes from that place.”
‘It’s all over the Wyre’
Ms Beavers said the impact was not limited to Fleetwood, warning that communities across the borough were being affected.
“They’re next door to caravan sites, housing estates, and this smell gets into Thornton, Cleveleys, Poulton - it’s all over,” she said.
“People should be able to breathe clean air.”
Health fears and Christmas stench
Campaigners from Stop The Stink warned that the ongoing odours are taking a toll on mental and physical health, particularly among older residents and those with existing conditions.
Alison Roe, a campaigner with the group, said: “We want this landfill closed. It’s causing mental health problems.
“We have a very large elderly population in this town, some of them have underlying health issues.
“They can’t go out of their house because they’re frightened of being poisoned by the mucky smell coming off this place.”
She added: “We had the stench all Christmas. It was horrendous.
“This landfill needs to get out of our town before someone dies from the poison.”
Environment Agency response
The protest comes amid increased regulatory action by the Environment Agency, which confirmed it received 1,184 odour reports in December alone.
The agency said a spike in complaints was linked to gas infrastructure upgrades, including the installation of 16 new gas wells and additional carbon filtration, which temporarily increased odours.
While permanent capping of recently filled landfill areas is expected to begin shortly, residents and campaigners argue that temporary measures are no longer enough.
Ms Beavers said she would continue to raise the issue in Parliament and support community action, stressing that public pressure remains crucial.
“When communities stand together, that’s when change happens,” she said.
Residents are encouraged to continue reporting odours to the Environment Agency and Wyre Council as calls grow for an early end to landfill operations at Jameson Road.
More detailed information about ongoing works at the site is available via the Environment Agency’s community engagement pages for the Jameson Road Landfill Site.
Smells can be reported to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60, or to Wyre Council via its online reporting form.