Residents of Fleetwood, Lancashire, have lodged more than 20,000 complaints with the Environment Agency over a foul smell from the reopened Jameson Road landfill site, run by Transwaste. The stench, likened to rotten eggs and animal excrement, has caused nausea, vomiting, nosebleeds, and worsening of respiratory conditions, according to locals.
The odour is hydrogen sulphide, a toxic gas released since the landfill reopened in late 2023 after five years of closure. Headteacher Dave McPartlin of Flakefleet primary school said children refuse to play outside, and the smell lingers even at night due to temperature inversions. Holidaymakers at nearby caravan sites have complained of feeling sick, with one family describing their autistic child's distress.
Retired teacher Donna Davidson, who lives nearly three miles away, said people are 'getting gassed in their beds'. Allison Rowe, who moved to Fleetwood during the pandemic, reported vomiting after returning home and was later diagnosed with asthma and COPD, which she believes are linked to the landfill. An Imperial College London study in 2020 found a small increase in congenital abnormalities near waste sites, but detailed research is lacking.
Fleetwood has higher-than-average rates of asthma and COPD, conditions exacerbated by noxious air. The Environment Agency recorded 74 compliance breaches at the Transwaste site in two years, a third classed as 'significant'. Transwaste began installing a permanent barrier this month, claiming approval delays.
Dr Barbara Kneale, a GP and occupational medicine consultant, is gathering evidence to seek permanent closure. She and Davidson are tracking hydrogen sulphide readings and waste trucks from across the UK. In January, over 100 residents staged a slow march to the landfill in protest.
