'It smells so bad it's given me a headache': PM urged to 'stop the stink' by children studying near 'grim' landfill site

20 March 2025, 08:46 | Updated: 20 March 2025, 08:50

Schoolchildren are calling on the government to take action to stop a vile stench which has clouded their homes for more than a year

Children from a school in Lancashire are going to Downing Street today to hand in a petition to Number 10 about the fact the town where they live smells so bad.

For more than a year, residents and campaigners have been battling with authorities over the stench coming from the Transwaste Site on Jameson Road in Fleetwood, an odour so pungent that locals are reporting headaches, nose-bleeds and feeling like they are becoming prisoners in their own homes.

Pupils from Flakefleet Primary School are heading to Downing Street, armed with a petition and a chorus of frustration, to knock on the door of Number 10.

Tayron told LBC: “Horrible, it smells like rotten eggs. I got out of the car this morning and it hit me like Mike Tyson had boxed my head in.”

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Another pupil, Sammy, said: “It’s been giving people nosebleeds and people don’t want to go out.

Paige told LBC: “It’s like rotten fish, it’s really disgusting. We’re going to London to see the Prime Minister and ask him to stop the stink please.”

Dave McPartlin, Headteacher at Flakefleet Primary School, said: “You can smell it, you can’t miss it, it’s been going on well over a year now.

“It’s grim, it’s disgusting, you’re getting people who don’t want to play in the garden, don’t want to go for walks, it’s affecting play times, and I picked up on the kids talking about it in the corridor. Maybe if they won’t listen to the adults, they’ll listen to the kids and do something about it.

“We’re knocking on the door of Number 10, we’ve got a letter for the Environment Secretary, we can’t prove it’s having an impact on physical health but it’s certainly having an impact on the mental health of our community.”

Since the start of February, the Environment Agency has received more than 2,000 complaints about the smell coming from the Transwaste site.

In a statement, they said: “EA officers have been conducting daily odour checks in Fleetwood and surrounding areas and given that they noted the presence of odour offsite.

“We have met with Transwaste and provided clear advice to them to 'voluntarily stop' accepting the landfill waste. They would need to continue to take in inert clays, stone and soils for cover and capping purposes. This action was taken alongside a thorough audit of their Landfill Gas and Odour Management plans.

“Transwaste need to bring odorous emissions under control. They need to review their management and control practices. They need to ensure that all resources are focused on addressing the site’s impact on people and the environment.

“Transwaste have agreed to undertake further work to improve the capping on the landfill and carry out further works and improvements to their gas infrastructure. We will consider any additional actions needed and escalate if we have any concerns about their ability to meet the conditions of their permit.”