Residents kick up stink over landfill site stench
A STOMACH-churning stench from a landfill site is not a health risk, environment bosses say.
Officers visited Gartside Farm on Sunnyside Lane, Droylsden, last Friday after complaints about a terrible smell being carried up a quarter of a mile away.
One resident told the M.E.N. that the smell was ‘getting inside houses’ and he feared for the health of his young son. They said the odour was “like sewers” and was seeping into their homes. Other residents have contacted the M.E.N. complaining of strong ‘eggy’ smells on Sunnyside Road and Greenside Lane, close to the farm.
Sources said there were potentially “thousands of tons of waste at the site” which would take “weeks or even months” to remove.
The resident, who did not want to be named, said: “About six weeks ago we started to experience a funny smell in the area. “The smell is terrible. It’s like rotting food and methane gas and it gets in the houses. “I’ve got a young son so I am worried it could affect his health. “I know people have noticed it up to a quarter of a mile away. “It’s also worrying that the land contains a number of brooks, so Anonymous resident it could be a risk to the wildlife as well as human health.”
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “We are aware of the concerns of local residents about odours being emitted and any potential health effects. We are currently liaising with Public Health England and taking their advice.
“On Tuesday a specialist team carried out testing of the air in the vicinity, however we currently have no reason to suspect the presence of anything other than the emissions which would normally be expected from a regulated landfill site.”
A Tameside council spokesperson said: “We are working in support of the Environment Agency following a number of reports from the public of odour issues and illegal waste activity on a site in Droylsden.
“On Friday, December 15, our officers attended the site along with officers from the Environment Agency and police and found an illegal landfill site and waste transfer facility in operation.
“We are pleased that the Environment Agency have taken immediate action to stop these activities whilst they carry out their enquiries, and we will continue to support them with their ongoing investigation.”