Residents in North Wales have initiated legal proceedings against the operators of Hafod Landfill, citing ongoing nuisance odours that have plagued their communities for years. More than 140 households from Johnstown, Ruabon, and Rhos have joined a group claim led by law firm Hugh James, which agreed to support the case following a Senedd Petition Committee report published earlier this year.
The inquiry found that monitoring data showed clear breaches of the nuisance odour threshold defined by the World Health Organisation, though levels were not considered a risk to public health. Stephanie Eedy, Partner in the Environmental team at Hugh James, stated: "For years, residents have described the serious impact this alleged odour nuisance has had on their daily lives. The Senedd committee's findings now underline the scale of that failure. We are acting for residents in a group claim for loss of enjoyment of their homes and gardens."
Eedy emphasised that the action is about accountability and fair treatment, not shutting down the site or threatening jobs. Some residents described the odour as "a very strong gas and rotting stench" and "smell like rotten eggs and burning," which is pungent and lasts all day, forcing them to cancel outdoor gatherings and preventing them from hanging laundry outside.
Lead campaigner Steve Gittins noted that the problem, which has persisted for 19 years, remains unresolved. He claimed that air quality data posted on Enovert's community page has been unavailable for two months due to password restrictions, and that measurements of fugitive emissions via AQ Mesh pods appear intermittent. Recent rainfall has also led to increased leachate—smelly, contaminated water running off the site into drains.
A spokesperson for Natural Resources Wales (NRW), which enforces Enovert's environmental permit, said: "We take residents' concerns about odour from Hafod Landfill very seriously and recognise the impact this can have on the local community. We continue to regulate the site in line with its environmental permit and will investigate reports of potential pollution." NRW noted that the operator has been progressing actions such as installing new landfill gas wells, capping works, and developing a new cell to enhance gas capture and reduce odours.
Despite the legal action, Wrexham Council councillors recently acknowledged a decrease in complaints. Complaints dropped from 548 in 2025—peaking at 260 in January—to 294 so far in 2026, with a peak of 174 in January. James Hladkij, Enovert's Group Environmental Manager, told a council committee: "We had a massive spike in air quality complaints in January 2025. As the year went on, odour complaints declined. Unfortunately, they're still well above the levels that we want and expect." He added that for 98% of the time, off-site community pods measured below the annoyance level of eight parts per billion of hydrogen sulphide.
Rhys Ellie from NRW noted that monitoring has shifted focus to leachate management, with 48 off-site odour assessments since January. Councillor Paul Pemberton, who previously criticised Enovert, acknowledged progress but questioned whether the drop in complaints was due to residents feeling ignored. Councillor Hugh Jones stated that odour levels in residential areas are "virtually down to zero," resulting in zero complaints. Councillor John Phillips agreed that conditions have improved significantly since January 2025, thanking Enovert and NRW for their efforts.
