Life near the 'intensely nauseating' landfill quarry making people flee their homes
Inside the battle against Walleys Quarry as firm behind the landfill prepare to fight Environment Agency closure notice
When residents near a controversial North Staffordshire landfill heard the Environment Agency (EA) had issued a closure notice for the site, they hoped their battle against years of foul odours and health concerns might be nearing an end.
However, during Christmas week, families in Silverdale, nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme and the surrounding areas reported some of the worst odours of the year, with 1,644 complaints made to the EA between December 23 and 29.
And in the first week of January, a further 1,315 complaints were recorded, with the recent surge in complaints thought to be due to cold, still weather conditions preventing the odours from dispersing effectively.
Residents describe the smell as ‘eggy, oniony, dense, thick, acrid, nauseating and intense’, while others blame hydrogen sulphide (H2S) emissions from the site for health issues, such as headaches, nosebleeds, nausea and migraines.
Walleys Quarry, which began its life as a brick and tile works in 1924, began receiving waste in 2007, 10 years after Secretary of State John Prescott controversially approved its use as a landfill. The site was sold to waste disposal company Red Industries Ltd (now known as Walleys Quarry Ltd) in 2016, who began their landfill operations in November that year, and by 2020 the height of the landfill had risen above ground level, becoming visible to passers-by.
While odour complaints date back more than a decade, the issue hit the headlines in January 2021, when Silverdale resident Nathan Wint chained himself to the gates in protest. His actions reignited the ‘Stop the Stink’ campaign, sparking regular protests which resulted in a court injunction against 26 key activists.
In September 2021, the High Court ruled that emissions from the site, which is surrounded by homes and businesses, exacerbated the underlying health conditions of a local five-year-old boy, although the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling two months later. That year, more than 65,000 complaints were made about the site, as residents from miles around reported the stench.
Then-MP Aaron Bell used parliamentary privilege the following February to allege that hazardous waste, including arsenic and rat poison, was being dumped at the landfill. Walleys Quarry Ltd dismissed these claims as unfounded.
The EA installed four off-site air quality monitors in March 2021 to track H2S levels. However, calibration issues discovered in 2023 revealed that readings were sometimes two to three times higher than initially reported.
After making 180 inspections since 2021 and recording 127 permit breaches, the EA issued a closure notice in November 2024, barring the site from accepting new waste. The landfill must now be permanently capped, and gas management systems enhanced to prevent further emissions.
The EA described the site’s management as ‘poor’ and warned that further operation of the site ‘may result in significant long-term pollution’, stating that the operator had been ‘unwilling or unable to prevent acceptance of waste that has continued to produce hydrogen sulphide’.
In response, Walleys Quarry Ltd announced plans to appeal the closure notice. A spokesperson said: “We are clear that keeping the site open delivers the greatest benefit and sustainability. We completely reject the accusations made by the EA relating to poor management of the landfill site.”
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council received 1,128 complaints in December 2024 – nearly five times the number received the previous December – including 92 on Christmas Day. The total number of complaints in 2024 was more than twice 2023’s figures.
The borough council – which issued a statutory nuisance abatement notice against the site in 2021 – has this week pledged to support the EA at the upcoming appeal inquiry, which will be heard by the Planning Inspectorate.
Council leader Simon Tagg said: “The council has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with residents for years in this battle against the foul gas odours. Residents are still affected by odour emissions, which shows that we need a permanent, sustainable solution as quickly as possible.”
A ‘living nightmare’
Lee-Bernadette Walford has been affected by Walleys Quarry since moved to her home two miles from the site in 2017 and describes the situation as a ‘living nightmare’.
She says her children suffer from nosebleeds and headaches, while she experiences nausea, migraines and year-round hayfever-like symptoms and her youngest son has had to double his asthma medication.
She said: “It smells as though there is a gas leak in our home and I have spent a small fortune on candles, diffusers and essential oils to mask the stench. We can never fully relax as we don’t know when we will be getting relief from the gases and when we do it’s like being on high alert for the next influx of noxious gases. Psychologically it’s akin to being tortured over a long period of time.
“I have described the residents as lab rats as I firmly believe that this is a major health emergency and have advocated for years that thousands of us should have been evacuated from the area. We don’t know how this long-term subjection to these dangerous gases and particulate matter will impact on our health, but I predict with enough certainty that the outcome will be worse than anyone can even imagine.”
Planning to leave
Christine Easom, who lives two miles from the site, plans to move away from the area with her husband due to health fears.
Since 2021, she says, they have experienced symptoms such as sore eyes and nostrils, headaches, breathing difficulties and disturbed sleep, and have been unable to ventilate their home properly, leading to mould and mildew issues.
She said: “The smell is offensive. It is eggy, oniony, dense, thick, acrid, nauseating, and intense, and it is difficult to get rid of. But the H2S smell is just part of the concern. The other gasses that are just as prevalent but more difficult to detect are more worrying.
“I am so sad that this issue has caused such torture to the town, that people’s lives have been shattered, that relationships have been damaged and people’s mental health has been so affected. I am astounded that the past government has allowed this to continue for so long and that after four long years there are local people who are still unaware of the real state of affairs.
“I want the whole country made aware of what the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme have had to suffer. I want to know that whatever we have suffered ensures that such things are not repeated elsewhere.”
Impact on children
Jan Middleton, who lives three miles from the site, is particularly concerned about children’s health.
She said: “I am aware of the gas before I can smell it because of the burning sensation in my nose. It does smell like rotten eggs but it's the burning, choking and overpowering feeling that it creates and the worry that it brings with it.
“I am particularly worried about not only the short-term health impacts but also the long-term impact on children's developing respiratory systems, as well as their ability to concentrate while in the classroom and how it affects them playing outdoors.
“Since 2021, I have been asking the EA to monitor the gas at child height, because the gas is heavier than air. I don't understand why they haven't taken the health of children more seriously.”
Toll on mental health
Dr Michael Salt, a scientist living a mile from the site, uses his expertise to interpret data for the community. The campaign, however, took a heavy toll on his mental health.
He said: “Physically, I have been lucky in that I have had no symptoms. However, reputationally, Walleys Quarry is a stain on Newcastle-under-Lyme; it is not pleasant to invite people to your hometown and have to explain to them what the awful smell is.
“Mentally, campaigning for resolution and justice has taken a significant toll, with a complete breakdown at one point, and a long road to recovery of over two years. Thankfully, I am feeling myself again, just a lot wiser than when I started.
“My fear is that the closure notice has come too late and that irreversible harms to the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme have already occurred. As campaigners, however, we can hold our heads high that we did all we could, as expediently as we could.”
About the author: Hannah Hiles is a freelance journalist and writer based in Stoke-on-Trent, with a strong interest in heritage, regeneration and culture. She is a former senior journalist at The Sentinel/ Stoke-on-Trent Live and the Birmingham Mail, and has also worked in communications for Keele University and Ceramics UK.
This piece is part of The Lead North, our commitment to stories and people across the North of England. From launching titles in Blackpool, Teesside, Calderdale, Southport and Lancashire, we also feature in-depth news and features about the issues affecting the North - including in Stoke-on-Trent, you can see our archive from the free newspaper and newsletter we launched. It’s not the first time we’ve looked into landfill, following Jennifer Sizeland’s look at Bury’s toxic landfill.
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