Campaigners challenging air quality report over odorous landfill site

Campaigners against a stinking landfill site in Fleetwood are challenging data provided by statutory bodies in regard to air quality and public safety.

Dr Barbara Kneale, of the campaign group Close Jameson Road Landfill (CJRL) has been looking into the air monitoring results and health risk assessments provided by the Environment Agency(EA), UK Health Security Agency(UKHSA) and LCC Public Health(LCCPH).

She says the group used a Freedom of Information request (FOI) to obtain the EA air monitoring data from the period from May 2024 until Jan 2026, which showed serious flaws in the information gathered by EA and raises concerns about the way it was used.

Residents say the odorous emissions, likened to rotten eggs, have impacted on their health, with some suffering nosebleeds, breathing problems, sore throats and severe headaches.

The landfill site is run by Transwaste Recycling & Aggregates Ltd, whose operations have been monitored by EA for the past two years.

In May last year an EA report on the air quality around the Jameson Road site found that levels of chemicals in the air around the site – hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide and methane – did not exceed air standards set by the World Health Organisation WHO).

Angry campaigners felt this exonerated Transwaste, who then said the report from EA directly contradicted claims made by objectors that they were being poisoned.

However, Dr Kneale said this week that the position of some of the monitoring equipment meant that the level of odour from the emissions had been under-estimated.

She said: “Currently, there is a single mobile monitoring facility (MMF) located on Copse Road , Fleetwood .

“The EA have stated that it is used for Jameson Road Landfill regulatory purposes only. However, the UKHSA and other Public Health authorities have chosen to use this data without question to base their health risk assessments.

“CJRL has repeatedly raised concerns about the validity of the air monitoring conducted by the Environment Agency (EA) at Jameson Road Landfill with respect to how that data has been interpreted by the UKHSA and Lancashire County Council Public Health, to provide health risk assessment for the local residents.

“We analysed the dataset by looking at factors including the location of the mobile monitoring facility, the location of the nearest residential area to the landfill (Harbour Village 0.5km), the prevailing wind directions, the physical characteristics of a hydrogen sulphide gas plume and climatic conditions.

“According to our analysis, the monitoring facility is not located in the optimal position to measure the actual Hydrogen Sulphide concentrations in the air affecting residents who live closer to the landfill.

“The nearest residential development is Harbour Village comprising 332 houses located at 400-500m from the landfill yet the monitor is 1.25 km away in a different direction.

“This means that the concentration of H2S is under-estimated at Harbour Village. This is an ongoing project and forms only part of the results.”

She added: “They know exactly how this site is affecting people – we are being treated with contempt. EA and UKHSA have ignored us and the County Council say it is not their responsibility.”

EA said after the 2025 air quality report was published: “We completely understand the impact this landfill has had on the community and we’d like to reassure them that we are maintaining our increased regulatory response.

“This includes frequent odour checks and regular site inspections.

“A new Air Quality Monitoring Report for Jameson Road landfill, which includes data from 9 May 2024 to 19 March 2025, has now been published.

“We have made it clear that we expect significant improvements to gas infrastructure and close control over the types of waste accepted for operations at the site to continue.”

EA has been approached over the latest comments by Close Jameson Road Landfill (CJRL).