Wyre Council braced for court battle with Transwaste over Jameson Road landfill

Meanwhile Lancashire County Council's report says the landfill is having a significant impact on residents

Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.

The news of the publication of a report from Lancashire County Council regarding the harmful impact of the Jameson Road landfill has been welcomed - but campaigners say it does not go far enough.

The report vindicates what residents have now been saying for a substantial period of time, which is positive and frustrating in equal measure.

They say that the conversation now needs to switch to planning the closure of the site - and that given the evidence in the report, it is unhelpful to describe toxic harm as ‘unlikely’ in its wording.

And then, shortly before publication, came the news that Wyre Council will face Transwaste in court.

We’ve been reporting extensively on the campaign against the Jameson Road landfill since the beginning. We have been able to do so thanks to paying subscribers and we hope you can join in support us today.

Blackpool briefing

🛎️ Owners of a Blackpool hotel where a child died after suffering an electric shock in the lobby have been fined £120,000 over health and safety offences. Blackpool Council successfully brought charges against Y7 Hotels Ltd, owner of the Tiffany Hotel on North Promenade, following the incident in September 2023. Jack Piper-Sheach, 10, suffered an electric shock in the reception area of the hotel and died in hospital four days later. He and his family had been visiting Blackpool from Lincolnshire. Investigations were launched by Lancashire Police and Blackpool Council. Lancashire Police found no criminal case to answer relating to the death. Blackpool Council later brought charges against Y7 Hotels Ltd for offences contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. None of the charges related to the death of the child. Representatives of the business attended Preston Crown Court on Wednesday 15 April 2026 and entered a guilty plea to two offences, in relation to the Tiffany Hotel, Blackpool. At a sentencing hearing on Friday 26 June, Y7 Hotels Ltd was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay £24,000 costs to Blackpool Council.

🎵 The government has committed £20m towards the development of an arena at the Blackpool Central site after successful lobbying from the area’s MP Chris Webb. This is not a ‘deal to build a huge £20m indoor arena’ as has been reported elsewhere - that is getting far too giddy about things. Instead, it will fund the next stage of work which includes assessing any arena’s feasibility, developing a business case and seeking private-sector investment. The funding comes from Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy. Webb said: “This funding gives Blackpool the opportunity to properly test whether the project is commercially viable and put us in the strongest possible position to attract an experienced private-sector partner with the expertise to develop, operate and programme a world-class venue. “If an arena is to succeed, it must be the right arena, with the right operator and the right business case. That means bringing major concerts, sporting events, e-sports, comedy, exhibitions and live entertainment to Blackpool while complementing, not competing with, our existing attractions and cultural venues.”

🥟 Blackpool’s oldest pier has been sold - with the new owners vowing a £10m investment package to restore it. North Pier, which opened in 1863 and is Grade-II listed, has been purchased by London-based Okken Limited after being listed for sale last year. The company said it would given the structure the refurbishment it clearly needs, while improving the theatre and opening a new bar. More on this in future editions.

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Wyre Council braced for court battle with Transwaste over Jameson Road landfill

A protest at Jameson Road in March. Credit: The Blackpool Lead

By Luke Beardsworth

Wyre Council will face the operator of the Jameson Road landfill - Transwaste - in court after the firm appealed an abatement notice.

The authority issues the abatement notice to Transwaste on 30 April with it legally requiring them to stop unwanted odour from impacting residents by the deadline of the end of June.

But The Blackpool Lead has learned that Transwaste has appealed the terms of that abatement notice and that Wyre Council will present the evidence it has gathered - driven by those in the community affected - in court.

A decision is expected within the next few months. Separately, Wyre Council will be undertaking a review to determine whether the nuisance has abated over the previous 60 days or not with a view to reaching a ‘robust and defensible’ decision.

The news comes after the publication of a report that concludes the landfill is having a significant impact on the lives of people in Fleetwood.

The Environment Agency, who advised The Blackpool Lead for the first time in May that closure of the landfill that has impacted residents for over two years was being seriously considered, have now said that they intend to treat closure as a ‘last resort’.

And that follows the publication of a community impact report by Lancashire County Council last week (26 June) which found that the odour from the site was having a ‘significant and ongoing impact on health and wellbeing’ in Fleetwood. That report, while positive in acknowledging the impact, stopped short of recommending the closure of the site and instead recommends ‘strengthened action’ and ‘transparent communication’.

It means that the residents of Fleetwood have been told by two public bodies that they will need to continue to live with the odours of the landfill - and the symptoms that include nausea, headaches, respiratory issues and nausea - something one campaigner described as ‘pathetic’.

Jess Brown, from Action Against Jameson Road Landfill, told The Blackpool Lead: “There are definitely some positives [from the LCC report]. The report finally shows what we’ve all been saying for the last two years.

“But it doesn’t go far enough. The report recommends that no additional waste should be brought into Jameson Road until the odour problems are effectively managed.