Erin Landfill: Environment Agency comments after survey results from residents are published

After the Erin landfill site received an avalanche of smell complaints in the last few months, Duckmanton resident James Tomlinson has now conducted an online survey to ask people who live near the site what impact the odour has on their daily lives.

The survey, conducted at a local Facebook group dedicated to the landfill which has 242 members, found that 81 residents had to close windows due to the odour, 76 said they were stressed by the smell and 68 were worried about flies.

54 people said they feared for family health due to the smell, 52 respondents said they couldn't use their gardens and 27 claimed their children couldn’t play outside because of it.

Some residents have also reported health issues which they believe are caused by the smell and 23 people said they developed mental health issues because of the constant smell and 25 said that worrying about the odour has affected their sleeping.

Following publication of the survey results Cllr Anne Hayes, who campaigns to resolve issues around the landfill site, said: "The residents of Duckmanton and Poolsbrook have repeatedly told me that the foul odour is affecting their health. They are suffering with nausea and vomiting, and for those residents with breathing difficulties it is adding to their daily struggles.

"I believe the lack of information about what is happening is causing increased depression and anxiety amongst both adults and children, who are being kept from playing outside.”

The Derbyshire Times has presented the health and wellbeing concerns to the Environment Agency and to Valencia, which operates the site.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Through January, and February, we have continued to receive, and investigate, reports of odours in the area around Duckmantion, Poolsbook and the Erin Landfill site.

"We take these reports seriously and we have allocated additional resources to this issue. We recently carried out an inspection of the site and have another planned to further investigate the problem. We will also be liaising with the operator as we look to them to carry out any necessary remediation.

“Our inspections include looking for potential sources of landfill gas. We have not identified any significant sources at present. This does not alter the fact that residents in the area are being impacted by odours, and we urge members of the public to continue to report odour issues to us to help us investigate the causes. Odour reports can be made to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

“We issue environmental permits that set standards for those operating landfill sites and those sites must adhere to strict conditions to minimise their impact on the environment and the local community. Our investigation into the source of landfill odour and action required is ongoing. We would encourage the community to keep reporting odour issues to us immediately.”

Valencia has declined to comment on the survey findings but told the Derbyshire Times that they were undertaking landscaping and engineering works to resolve issues.

Yesterday (February 29), the landfill site announced that it is currently closed for waste deliveries until further notice.