Residents on Heron Street in Swinton, Salford, claim their street is being plagued by huge rats and awful smells from a nearby waste management site, and fear the situation could get worse. The neighbours are opposing plans by Fresh Start Waste Service to expand its operations and build new processing plants at Hilton Square, which runs parallel to Heron Street. The issue emerged at a planning meeting on Thursday, September 3, where councillors considered an application for a new storage canopy and change of use of a former warehouse.
Residents report 'staggering' vermin infestations
Speaking on behalf of the street, Peter Gergus told councillors: "The amount of vermin is staggering. I caught one the other week that was 43 centimetres long. People in our street have had them running around in their homes and almost everyone has rat traps." He added that vermin control had told them the rats were coming from the waste processing site, and described the smell as "horrendous", saying the council has a duty of care to residents' health and wellbeing.
Lynn Roberts, who owns a home on Heron Street where her sister lives, said neighbours were living "in fear" at the constant presence of rats and the possible diseases they were spreading.
Council defers decision amid concerns
Council officers noted that rats and smells fall under the remit of the Environment Agency rather than the local authority, meaning they could not technically form a reasonable objection to granting planning permission. However, residents and councillors noted Fresh Start Waste also intends to double its operation, processing 150,000 tonnes of garbage instead of 75,000 tonnes. The plant would need sign off from the Environment Agency for that change.
Swinton and Pendlebury councillor Jim Dawson said: "I have been aware of this issue for a number of years, possibly even ten. The site is a mess, you can even see it from Google Views. I was hoping that by putting the building up, it would improve matters, but if they double the amount, that might not happen." Other concerns include the plant's operating hours and noise, which has no fixed hours and sometimes starts work as early as 4am, according to officers.
Councillors ultimately voted to defer the decision so they could request more information about vermin control, odours, and noise pollution. Senior Operations Leader Ben Entwistle later refuted the claims that the rats came from the business, stating that "regular internal and external audits have not identified pests, noise, odour or dust as an issue at the site". He added: "We operate our site in accordance with a monitored permit from the Environment Agency and the current planning application is intended to improve and internalise more of our operations to provide betterment beyond the current process."
