Council gets green light for legal action over Staffordshire landfill

A council has been given permission to take legal action against a landfill operator over its alleged failure to properly manage gas emissions.

Newcastle-under-Lyme City Council officers believe Walleys Quarry Ltd has breached the terms of a statutory nuisance abatement notice, which was served in August 2021.

Walleys Quarry Ltd initially opposed the action but dropped the appeal after mediation. The abatement notice became enforceable in March 2023.

The landfill operator has been contacted for comment.

Although the city council had started preparing for legal action, permission from the Minister of the Environment was still needed to proceed with the prosecution.

In a letter to council leader Simon Tagg, Environment Minister Steve Reed said he had considered the council’s case and was happy to grant the necessary consent.

“I am keen to see a resolution to the issues surrounding the site and know that the Environment Agency is continuing its work on the site to this end,” he said.

Mr Reed added: “I visited Newcastle-under-Lyme in January this year and met local residents who were affected by the odour. I subsequently wrote to my predecessor at Defra about the situation.”

Under the agreement with the council, Walleys Quarry Ltd must address the odour problems using ‘the best possible means’ and publish information about what the company is doing at its Silverdale site.

People living near the quarry have been making numerous complaints for years about the stench emanating from the site.

A council-led inquiry into the landfill site was launched last week to hear evidence from local groups, Silverdale Town Council and a local GP.

Also giving evidence were Mr Tagg, planning and health officers from Staffordshire County Council and former MP Aaron Bell.

The BBC has asked Walleys Quarry Ltd for comment.