The Leader of Wyre Council has welcomed confirmation that the Environment Agency has issued a variation of permit notice to Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates Ltd.
The decision follows issues with odour from the site which has persistently affected local residents since 2024. The Environment Agency is the regulator for activity on the site and has been monitoring operations to ensure compliance with the law governing landfill sites.
The Environment Agency's permit variation means operator Transwaste can now only accept waste types unlikely to generate odour, including inert materials such as soil, concrete and bricks. The measure restricts the amount of household waste at the site, identified as the source of the smells.
The variation also includes a new requirement for the operator to submit plans for and install continuous hydrogen sulphide monitoring technology.
A number of agencies have been involved in monitoring unwanted odour from the site, including Wyre Council, with each exercising separate and distinct statutory powers.
Councillor Michael Vincent, the Leader of Wyre Council, said:
“Today’s news is positive and this action recognises the real impact these issues have had on the local community and the need to prevent further harm.
“We as a council, along with Lorraine Beavers MP and the Environment Agency, have been working tirelessly to achieve a resolution on behalf of local residents. The position we are in now has taken hundreds of hours of work and I am grateful to all who have been involved.
“Transwaste has only tipped inert waste at the site for many weeks and yet the stink has persisted. We will continue to work with the EA and the MP to ensure that the existing cells are capped properly and permanently, only then can we be confident that this blight is over. However, we are one step closer to a positive outcome and that is to be celebrated.”
Wyre Council holds powers in relation to statutory nuisance and has worked with the community to gather the evidence required to meet the legal test under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Last month, the council issued an abatement notice to Transwaste in relation to unwanted odour impacting people in their homes and places of work.