Air quality report into Jameson Road landfill not enough to declare site safe
PLUS: What the report into violence after the Southport attacks tells us about our area
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
What a surprise I had on Friday lunchtime when a press release dropped in my inbox saying the Jameson Road landfill is NOT causing dangerous emissions. With everyone downing tools at 5pm later that day, it hardly gave me time to verify the information properly.
The release came from a company employed by Transwaste to manage the site - but closer inspection of the air quality monitoring report shows it is perfectly feasible to read it in that way.
But it still stinks - even the report made that conclusion, and that has an impact on people - and one independent expert on waste believes more work needs to be done before anyone can definitively declare the site safe.
In this edition, we also look at a new report into the riots which followed the Southport murders last summer.
Part two of our interview with Blackpool South MP Chris Webb is coming on Sunday.
Environment Agency report into Jameson Road landfill not enough to declare site safe
By Luke Beardsworth
The Jameson Road landfill exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline levels for hydrogen sulphide on dozens of occasions this year.
That is one of the conclusions of a new report from the Environment Agency that was monitoring the air quality in Fleetwood specifically in relation to the impact of the Jameson Road landfill.
The levels of hydrogen sulphide, notable for its smell that is often compared to rotten eggs, exceeded the WHO guidelines for 30 minute averages on 57 occasions with particular spikes between January and March this year - which coincides with the spike in odour complaints that peaked with over 3,000 in March alone.
The levels of methane, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter were not thought to have been problematic under WHO guidelines. The levels of hydrogen sulphide over 24-hour periods were also not deemed to be problematic. But one environmental expert told The Blackpool Lead that the report is not enough to conclude that the site is safe.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We completely understand the impact this landfill has had on the community and we’d like to reassure them that we are maintaining our increased regulatory response. This includes frequent odour checks and regular site inspections.
“We have made it clear that we expect significant improvements to gas infrastructure and close control over the types of waste accepted for operations at the site to continue.”
Questions have been raised regarding the use of only one monitoring facility in Fleetwood - which was located at Copse Road - when four were used in total to monitor Walleys Quarry in Staffordshire in a recent case that Jameson Road has drawn comparisons too.
Dr Barbara Kneale, who has been campaigning for the closure of the site, told The Blackpool Lead: “I’ve got some concerns about the air monitoring report and potential limitations of it.
“Why was just one monitoring facility used to gather data when other sites, like in Walleys, have had multiple?
“While it acknowledges the odour issue due to hydrogen sulphide, it only does so from one direction so it must be challenging to draw proper conclusions from that.
“The report says that 0.4% of the results recorded for Hydrogen Sulphide could result in substantial complaints - but that doesn’t fit with the lived reality of people in Fleetwood.
“There’s also very little consideration for the effects of long-term, cumulative exposure to hydrogen sulphide.”
According to the guidance published by the UK Government, long-term exposure to hydrogen sulphide, even at low levels, can result in various health issues, including low blood pressure, headaches, nausea, irritated eyes and loss of appetite. All those symptoms have been reported repeatedly by residents in Fleetwood.
By way of comparison, the use of one monitoring facility at Walleys Quarry showed the odour would cause a nuisance 0.2% of the time per WHO guidelines. But a second facility showed significantly higher at 6%.
The publication of the Environment Agency report was celebrated by Transwaste who said it ‘directly contradicted’ claims made by local residents.
A spokesperson for Transwaste said: “The monitoring results show that all levels are well below WHO and UK advisory and regulatory safety levels. This clear scientific evidence counters the misleading scare stories promoted by some local activists and should offer peace of mind to the wider community.”
But Dr David Megson, reader in Chemistry and Environmental Forensics at Manchester Metropolitan University, said that the report is not enough to conclude that the site is safe.
He told The Blackpool Lead: “They have not checked for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which I think is an oversight. These are more toxic and are linked with industrial waste. To me this report is not enough to confirm that the site is safe. I would recommend more work at the site – which includes testing for VOCs.”
He added that multiple testing sites would have given a more comprehensive view of how the town, and surrounding area, was being affected.
Transwaste told The Blackpool Lead that the site only accepts non-hazardous waste, with over 95% being household.
Transwaste, which operates the Jameson Road landfill, has also been accused of disregarding the concerns of local residents who contributed to thousands of complaints throughout January to March.
Dr Kneale added: “The statement from Transwaste felt unnecessarily smug given the level of impact we have been discussing with them.
“They have had two suspension notices on them and seen thousands of complaints relating to odour - and they have exceeded the levels for hydrogen sulphide on a number of occasions. This isn’t something they should be celebrating.”
Jess Brown, who leads the Action Against Jameson Road Landfill Facebook group, told The Blackpool Lead: “Transwaste’s attitude towards this, and their posts on social media on the topic, is disgusting when they know the impact this is having.”
The Blackpool Lead understands that, despite some improvements and the lifting of a second suspension notice, odours are still being detected by the Environment Agency. Transwaste has been instructed to communicate how they will address the issue.
The Environment Agency has informed Transwaste that, for the site to continue, ‘significant improvements’ will need to be made in a number of areas including the control of gas emissions, upgrades for infrastructure and closer control over the types of waste accepted’.
The Environment Agency added: “We understand the impact the odours have had on the community and we will consider further enforcement action if activity at the site continues to impact on the community.”
Recommended reading this week
⚽ The Gazette’s Seasiders reporter Amos Wynn has spoken to former assistant coach Steve Thompson about how the 06/07 season laid the foundation for the club’s eventual journey to the Premier League. A rare football recommendation for us but it’s an interesting reflection you can read here.
🚔 A 51-year-old woman has appeared in court on child abduction charges. This incident happened over the weekend and saw a woman attempt to walk away with a pram near Coral Island. The baby was unharmed. A quick report here.
🏚️ Armed with an initial £90m from Homes England to get the project going, Blackpool Council is seeking permission in principle to use compulsory purchase powers to assemble around 10 acres off Central Drive for the first phase. We’ll have a full report on this in a future issue - but you can get the basics from Places North West here.
‘No single issue’ caused disorder in the days that followed Southport triple murder
By Jamie Lopez
A report into the riots which followed the Southport murders last summer has concluded “no single issue” caused the disorder to spread.
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