MP demands action after closed waste dump keeps smelling

Summarised from BBC Merseyside's report · Updated 23 Oct, 12:02 · Archive

A waste dump on Merseyside remains foul-smelling and dusty despite being officially closed by the Environment Agency.

A waste dump on the Simonswood Industrial Estate in Kirkby, Merseyside, continues to emit foul odours and dust despite being officially closed by the Environment Agency. Residents in Kirkby and nearby Bickerstaffe, Lancashire, have complained of putrid smells, noise, dirt and dust from the site. The Environment Agency issued an enforcement notice on the site's owners on 28 March, preventing it from accepting any more waste.

West Lancashire MP Ashley Dalton raised the issue in the House of Commons, saying the mound remains along with the odour and dust. He asked the government for assurances that Simonswood would be included in the next phase of the illegal waste site clearance scheme. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the Environment Agency continues to investigate the site and it will be considered for clearance alongside other illegal waste sites.

However, residents who have campaigned against the dump for years expressed doubt that action would be taken soon. Angela Driscoll told BBC Radio Merseyside: 'We have been fighting this for 15 years. Nothing has changed. I think they all give lip service and no-one is accountable.'

Read the report

• MP demands action after closed-down dump continues to smellResidents says the smell and dust still remain despite the site being shut by the Environment Agency.BBC Merseyside · 23 Oct, 06:21

In this story: Simonswood Industrial Estate · Kirkby · Bickerstaffe · Merseyside · Lancashire · Ashley Dalton · Angela Eagle · Environment Agency

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