Licence suspended at Fleetwood landfill site which residents say is making them ill

The operator of a landfill site which local residents say smells so bad it is making them sick has had its licence suspended.

The Environment Agency has issued a notice on the site on Jameson Road in Fleetwood, in Lancashire.

It has told operator Transwaste it cannot continue until work has been completed to control the cause of the odours.

And the agency says if the situation does not improve it will consider further enforcement action.

Nine protests have been held in the past year about the site and the issue has been raised in the House of Commons.

Residents say they have suffered headaches, sore eyes and sore throats and liken the smell to that of rotting eggs.

The town's Labour MP, Lorraine Beavers, also says some have experienced nose bleeds and breathing problems.

Alongside raising the issue in parliament, she joined a number of primary school pupils, on 20 March, who took a letter to 10 Downing Street, calling on the government to take action.

Members of Flakefleet Primary's school council made a video to back the #StopTheStink campaign, describing how they cannot play or do sports outside because of the smell and emissions.

Members of the Flakefleet School council, alongside headteacher Dave McPartlin and Lorraine Beavers MP

The landfill site was taken over by TransWaste Recycling and Aggregates in late 2023.

The Environment Agency said it is carrying out daily odour checks and will monitor the progress of work outlined in the notice.

"While serving the notice will not stop the odour immediately, we expect it will start to reduce as work progresses," the agency added.

It said if the situation does not improve it will consider further enforcement action.

In a statement before the suspension Transwaste said that it was working to resolve the odour issue.

It added that monitoring by another agency showed hydrogen sulphide levels to be well below the level to cause any health effects.

The company says regular site updates can be found online.

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