Boy, 5, and mother win quarry fume challenge

A five-year-old boy and his mother have won a “David and Goliath” legal case against the Environment Agency over its regulation of a Staffordshire landfill site accused of emitting noxious gases that risk shortening the boy’s life.

Lawyers for Rebecca Currie’s son Mathew Richards said there was a “public health emergency” around Walleys Quarry in Newcastle-underlyme, saying hydrogen sulphide (H2S) emissions were affecting “probably thousands” of people, including the boy, who has underlying health issues.

Mr Justice Fordham said yesterday that the EA “must implement” Public Health England’s advice to reduce H2S in the area by January next year.