We've got 10,000 names on petition against stinking Fleetwood landfill site - now Government must respond

Fleetwood’s controversial Jameson Road landfill site has been troubling residents in Thornton, Cleveleys, Over Wyre and even in Bispham for more than a year.

Residents have complained about the toxic emissions of methane and Hydrogen Sulphide which have not only plagued them with a vile smell of rotten eggs, but led to concerns about the health implications.Some people have complained of nosebleeds, breathing difficulties, headaches and streaming eyes.

Although the Environment Agency has been monitoring the site and suspended activities on two occasions, the facility is continuing to operate.Campaigners say it should never have reopened in the first place after the original operators, Suez, left.

The protesters say the current operators, Transwaste Ltd, have continued to allow the emissions to plague long-suffering reddents.Now the online petition, set up by Fleetwood resident Thomas Mitchell, has reached the 10,000 target, a significant number to trigger Government attention.

He said: “My petition has now passed 10,000 signatures, which means the Government must give an official response. This situation cannot be allowed to continue, it’s a public health concern and people have suffered for long enough.”

Although the petition needs 100,000 signatures before it will be considered for debate in Parliament, Thomas says the Environment Agency, a government department, should be instructed to close the site down on health grounds.

Mr Mitchell said on this petition : “Since the landfill has been reopened, it has caused a smell, which has affected the whole of Fleetwood, which is around 25k in population and it also affects other areas, such as Knott End and Thornton-Cleveleys.

“The smell is coming from the landfill leased by Transwaste Ltd from Wyre Borough Council and is causing health issues with people who have breathing difficulties.“

“It is also causing other reported health issues such as headaches, Itchy/watery eyes, and sore throats. Some people have reported that the smell is affecting their sleep.

“The smell is an unpleasant egg smell and depending on the wind direction, homes nearby keep getting the smell coming all the way through their homes. It has also caused traffic issues, such as lorries waiting on main roads to go into the landfill and dump all the waste.”

The petition has been backed by Lorraine Beavers, the Labour MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, who has also called for the landfill site, which is leased from Wyre Council, to be closed down.

A campaign group, Action Against Jameson road Landfill, which now has almost 3,000 members, echoes those sentiments and has staged numerous protests.

Wyre Council has come under some criticism from long-suffering residents in Fleetwood and the surrounding areas for not doing enough about the problem. But the authority says it cannot act without evidence and has urged residents affected by the emissions to fill in diary sheets.

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”.

Transwaste says: “Since acquiring the site, Transwaste has undertaken over £2m worth of work to bring the site up to the latest standards and to install gas capture infrastructure.“This essential work initially meant disturbing the old waste in Cell 5 which caused an initial odour problem. Work in Cell 5 has now been completed and it has fully functioning gas capture infrastructure in place

.“Cell 6 has now been constructed to the latest standards and had gas capture infrastructure installed in order to proactively prevent any future odour problems.”

The Jameson Road petition can be found at : https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700273