Health report highlights ongoing impact of Jameson Road landfill odour on residents

The report brings together monitoring data and evidence from multiple partners,  including Lancashire County Council’s Public Health team, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS and the Environment Agency, providing a consistent and robust picture of the issue.

While findings confirm that measured levels of hydrogen sulphide and other pollutants are below thresholds associated with serious or irreversible toxicological harm, the report concludes that persistent and repeated exposure to odour is having a significant impact on people’s health and quality of life.

Intermittent odour levels have exceeded recognised annoyance thresholds and, over time, are contributing to ongoing symptoms, stress, sleep disturbance and reduced wellbeing. The report also highlights that these impacts are being felt most strongly in communities already experiencing higher levels of deprivation and poorer health, increasing the risk of widening health inequalities.

Evidence from environmental monitoring, NHS data and resident feedback shows that people living nearby have reported a range of symptoms linked to odour exposure. These include headaches, nausea, breathing irritation and anxiety, along with disruption to sleep, daily routines and overall quality of life.

The Environment Agency, as the regulator of the site, continues to take robust enforcement action against operator Transwaste to reduce odour emissions and ensure the operator complies with the conditions of its environmental permit.

This includes regulating the site operations, monitoring air quality and site activity, and working with partner organisations, including Wyre Council, as part of a coordinated multi-agency response.

The Environment Agency recently changed operator Transwaste’s permit, meaning the company can now only accept waste types that are unlikely to produce smells, such as inert waste like soil, concrete and bricks.

The report highlights the importance of sustained regulatory action to ensure effective and long-term odour control at the site.

Lancashire’s Director of Public Health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, has written to the Environment Agency setting out a number of recommendations. These include focusing on measures that preventing odour at source, ensuring strong operational controls are in place, and maintaining targeted monitoring in affected residential areas. The Environment Agency will consider these recommendations as part of its ongoing regulatory role.

A request has also been made for the Environment Agency to confirm its regulatory plan and timescales for achieving sustained odour control, and how these recommendations will be reflected in enforcement activity.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi said: “This report provides a clear and consistent picture across all the available evidence. While pollutant levels are below those associated with serious toxic harm, the reality for residents is that ongoing odour exposure is having a very real impact on their health, wellbeing and quality of life.

"We welcome the continued involvement of the Environment Agency and the wider multi-agency response. However, it is essential that there is continued action to stop or significantly reduce odour at source and delivering lasting improvements for local communities.”

John Neville, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “This report highlights the real impact the ongoing odours are having on the local community, and they should not have to tolerate it.

“We have recently changed the operator’s environmental permit so they can only accept non-odorous waste, and there’s a new requirement for increased air quality monitoring.

“We continue to press Transwaste to cover areas of the site identified as causing odours and to permanently cap two landfill cells as quickly as possible.

“If we do not see improvements, we will not hesitate to take further action.”

Partners, including Lancashire County Council’s Public Health team, Wyre Council, the Environment Agency, NHS and UKHSA, will continue to work together to support residents, monitor impacts and drive long-term improvements.

The report concludes that while long-term toxicological harm appears unlikely, the ongoing impact on wellbeing, mental health and quality of life is significant and requires a sustained, coordinated response.

The latest Environment Agency updates can be found here: Jameson Road Landfill Site - Fleetwood | Cumbria & Lancashire regulated sites | Engage Environment Agency