Cannock tip will not close over smells, officials insist
The Environment Agency today said it was not looking to close down a controversial waste plant in Staffordshire, claiming reports that foul smells are still plaguing a nearby estate are 'unsubstantiated'.
The announcement has angered campaigners, who have complained about the Biffa site in Cannock since it began operating in 2011. They say people living on the nearby Newlands Park Estate are unable to open their windows because of smells coming from the £24 million Poplars Landfill site in Lichfield Road.
But officials at the Environment Agency today said there had been a 'significant reduction' in the strength of the smell and that the frequency of residents' complaints had also dropped.
Spokeswoman Laura Baker said: "For the first time we have noticed that the reports from local residents do not reflect our own officers' experience. Our observations show that the plant odour is quite short-lived and relatively faint. The number of incident reports has noticeably reduced.
"The actions that Biffa has taken to improve the site and the changes these have brought do not currently justify us revoking or suspending the operator's permit.
"If the situation changes and we have evidence to support revocation or suspension of the permit, we will take appropriate action."
However, Ms Baker added that on August 2, contractors at the site had propped open a door, releasing smells. She said the Environment Agency was considering what action to take over the 'serious incident'.
Chase MP Aidan Burley and district councillor Janos Toth this week called for the plant's licence to be revoked, saying management had been given enough time to resolve the problem but had failed to do so.
Last month the company finished making final improvements to the anaerobic digestion plant, which recycles food waste, at a cost of more than £800,000. But Anne Willis, of Nuthatch Close, said the Environment Agency's claim that the situation was improving was unfounded. She said: "They are burying their heads in the sand, because complaints have certainly carried on. On one day alone they received over 20 calls."
Biffa said in a statement: "Since the successful installation of the gas bag and filter on time last month, we do not recognise what Mr Burley is now saying is happening."
