'Whittlesey whiff'- Residents concern as odour from waste management facility blights skies above town

Residents in Whittlesey have called for action over an strong odour that has been hanging over the town.

The stench is believed to be emanating from the waste management facility at the former Saxon Pit Brickworks site.

Residents have reported odour issues dating back to October 4, the area around the A605, at the end of Snoots Road, has been the worst affected with issues also being reported as far as Stonald Road.

The smell has been described as a “strong rotten dustbin smell.”

The Saxongate community group has been keeping a close eye on developments and has been in touch with both The Environment Agency and Cambridgeshire County Council.

A spokesperson for the group said: “We wish our community group was growing for more positive reasons, but on that note, we would also like to welcome a number of new members.

"This recent odour issue illustrates how vulnerable the area is due to the prevailing wind and the number of significant operations in the area which are capable of creating noise, dust and odour issues.

"Of course, the wide area that appears to have been impacted by the new intermittent strong odour also demonstrates how far and how quickly things can spread, and sadly it is odourless microparticles which can travel the furthest and potentially pose the most significant health risks.

"The situation demonstrates how hard it is for residents to navigate the regulatory web of agencies, planning and permits to have their voice heard, by authorities which are often poorly funded.

“Saxongate has never knowingly made any false claims or sought to incite false reporting from the public. We are just a group of community volunteers seeking to avoid needless industrial pollution and to ensure that operators follow the rules.”

The Environment Agency has now created a community briefing page for the Saxon Pit to provide residents must further information and updates.

This can be accessed on the Environment Agency website.

From their communications with the Environment Agency, the EA has informed residents that that East Midlands Waste Management Services are currently applying the soil capping layer to the Eastern Buttress area. This has caused odour reports from local residents which the body is currently investigating.

The EA have also stated that they have spoken with the site operator and his agent and they will attempt to spread this layer of soil when the weather conditions are favourable.

Cambridgeshire County Council has also stated that they have commenced an investigation into the source of odour in Whittlesey.

They have said that the operator was made aware of complaints that the regulators began to receive on October 7 and was asked to stop spreading the material, which they did on October 16, however, CCC added that this does not confirm that the source of the odour reported was that material.

The community group’s Facebook page can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/SaxonGatePE7.