Health secretary intervenes over ‘offensive’ landfill

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said he has “grave concerns” over the “woefully inadequate” management of a landfill site in north Staffordshire, which has prompted fears for the health of thousands of nearby residents.

The Independent has previously reported concerns for the health of people living near Walleys Quarry Landfill, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, after levels of hydrogen sulphide nearby breached limits set by the World Health Organisation.

Now the health secretary has written to the head of the Environment Agency, urging it to use its full powers to tackle the problem.

He said: “I am sympathetic with the distress and disruption suffered by the local communities who are being adversely impacted by offensive odours coming from the site, especially the impacts on the community’s overall health and wellbeing.”

Mr Hancock said he was concerned by the data reported at the site during a 24-hour period in March which found the levels of hydrogen sulphide reached 202 micrograms per cubic metre compared with a WHO limit of 150.

He added: “It is imperative that the Environment Agency (EA) both exercise the full range of their regulatory and enforcement powers over the company and, with local authority partners, engage effectively with the affected community to urgently resolve the problems at the site for the benefit of the community’s health and wellbeing.”

He asked for a briefing on the agency’s plan of action and timescales.

The company which manage the landfill, Red Industries, has suspended use of the site and had been given a 30 April deadline to carry out work to try and reduce smells. It had been issued with an enforcement notice by the agency in March for five breaches of its licence.

An update to residents seen by The Independent from the agency warned work to cap parts of the landfill may not be enough to prevent fumes affecting nearby homes.

Thousands of people nearby have complained over the smells, with some telling The Independent the fumes are affecting their ability to live normal lives. Staff at the nearby Royal Stoke University Hospital have also complained, to the local council.

Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Aaron Bell has questioned if Adam Share, who became Red Industries’ chairman in January this year and was previously its chief executive, was a fit and proper person to be in charge of the company which took over the landfill site in 2016. This was because of the existence of a spent conviction against Mr Share.

The Tory MP questioned if the EA had applied a fit and proper person test to Mr Share when the permit for the landfill was transferred to Red Industries in November 2016 and whether it was aware of his spent conviction.

He also demanded to know if Red Industries had disclosed this information.

The Environment Agency subsequently confirmed that as per its guidance, spent convictions are not relevant to the fit and proper person test. Accordingly, there was no requirement for Red Industries to disclose such information.

On 22 April, The Independent asked Red Industries if Mr Share was a fit and proper person to be leading the company but it did not respond directly to the question.

In a statement at the time it said it had “voluntarily curtailed operations to accelerate an extensive capping programme which will seal a substantial and extensive area of the site.”

It added that no hazardous waste was accepted at the landfill which would stop operations in 2026.

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the company said, in response to Mr Bell’s letter: “As a company we do not comment on private correspondence.”

The Environment Agency was approached for comment.