'Inhuman' smell so bad it causes nosebleeds leaves people unable to open windows

12 March 2024 , 20:28

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From left to right - Residents of the nearby landfill site, Allison Rowe, Jessica Brown and Councillor Mary Belshaw (Image: No credit)

Residents of a seaside town are furious about a dreadful 'rotten onion' smell invading their streets.

For the past two months, people living in Fleetwood, Lancashire have been forced to keep their windows and doors shut tight, just to avoid the foul scent. A lot of them reported feeling sick because of the sulphur-like stink.

Some said the horrid stench has caused troubles like headaches, breathing problems, and nosebleeds among the people. The source has been identified as a landfill site at the end of Jameson Road. The odour is apparently disturbing what would otherwise be a quiet coastal life, reports Lancs Live.

Transwaste, the company that owns the site after taking over from Suez in 2023, is surrounded by a number of housing estates and also overlooks the Fleetwood Marsh Nature Reserve.

However, planning permission has recently been given to bring the site up to "modern standards". This involves putting in pin wells to catch methane and reduce nasty smells.

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L-R: Pam Diamond, Ward Councillor Jimi Kuruvakadua and Angela Thomas (No credit)

But to do this job, Transwaste had to reopen cell five's cap - a specific spot where rubbish gets dumped and squished down.

This means waste is uncovered whilst being moved around and the revolting odour finds its way onto the coastal breeze. Although the organisation ensures this is only for a "short and temporary period", people living nearby say it's of little solace.

Resident Jessica Brown set up the Facebook page, "Action against Jameson Road, Fleetwood Landfill site gas smell." She lives near the Fisherman's Friend factory and noticed the smell around two months ago.

"I noticed my mum getting quite ill because she's got severe COPD, so this is quite personal to me and my young daughter," Jessica said. "I'm asthmatic and there's so many people's health it's affected. It's coming into people's houses, into mine last night. I smelt it so strong last night."

The landfill site can be seen on the hill near Fleetwood Marsh Nature Reserve (No credit)

Noticing this was a problem that was not going away, she decided to set up the community group to hear from other residents and get together to solve the problem. So far, there's over 700 members, many of whom want answers from the council, Transwaste and the Environment Agency.

Jessica added: "We've had reports on the group of nausea, nosebleeds, breathing conditions, skin irritation, sinus problems - so many things are coming up. The main ones are headaches and breathing conditions."

Harbour Village is a housing estate close to the landfill site, occupied by retirees, young families and those looking for a quieter, scenic lifestyle overlooking the River Wyre. Many dog walkers from the estate go for walks within the nature reserve - but now, a lot have stopped even going outside.

Jessica Brown started the resident's Facebook group (No credit)

Angela Thomas is a dog owner and resident of Harbour Village. She moved to the area three years ago as a retirement plan after she stops working at the end of this month.

But instead of planning a new and more relaxing chapter in her life, Angela now feels as though she can't even take her dog for a walk. She told LancsLive: "I do poke my nose out of the door now, before I even think about taking Blue [Angela's dog] out for a walk."

"I don't want to walk in that smell, absolutely not. I work from home and I can't even open my window because you don't know when it's coming."

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A spokesman for Transwaste said: "The Jameson Road landfill has operated on this site for half a century. It was mothballed in 2017 due to lack of demand at that time and the operational cell (cell 5) was temporarily capped to prevent odour."

"However, in 2019, planning permission was granted to extend operations on the site until 2033. The site was acquired by Transwaste in 2023 and we have undertaken a great deal of work to bring the site up to modern standards."

"This work also involves the installation of pin wells to capture methane and reduce odours. In order to carry out this work, and to complete and permanently cap cell 5, it has been necessary to re-open this cell. Unfortunately, this does mean that for a short and temporary period, the waste is uncovered whilst it is moved around, which inevitably can create some odour."

"We have endeavoured to re-cover the waste immediately to try and minimise this. The problem is exacerbated by the height of cell 5, which makes it more prone to wind which can carry the odour offsite, and recent bad weather and heavy rainfall have meant that this completion work has taken longer than anticipated."

"We apologise for any odours caused by this rectification work and would like to reassure residents that this is a short-term, temporary issue as we modernise and improve odour control."

"Once cell 5 has been completed, it will be permanently capped and a state-of-the-art gas capture system installed which will prevent offsite odour and generate renewable electricity. Future work on the site will take place at a much lower height and behind cell 5, which will also help improve odour control."

"Whilst our priority has been to complete this work as quickly and efficiently as possible, we are also keen to be good neighbours and work closely with the local community. In the coming weeks we will be announcing details of a community liaison group to consult with local residents and stakeholders, new contact channels for resident feedback and details of a community benefit fund to help support local projects."

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We would like to thank members of the community who have reported odour issues to us at a landfill site in the Fleetwood area. We use reports to assess information that informs our regulation and response."

"We have increased our compliance visits to the site to make sure the operator is reducing the risk of emissions and odour. We also have officers in the community to investigate odour levels around the landfill site."

"We are keeping multiagency partners informed and will look to work together to resolve this issue to prevent further impact on the community. Members of the public can continue to report odour to our 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60."

Ryan Fahey