Environment secretary Thérèse Coffey has visited a notorious North Staffordshire landfill site to see the operation for herself and to speak to local residents about the issues they face.

Walleys Quarry in Silverdale has been the subject of a lengthy campaign by locals due to foul smells in large parts of Newcastle-under-Lyme and has seen several legal battles in relation to how the site is being run.

Dr Coffey was invited by local MP Aaron Bell to meet Stop The Stink campaigners and local residents, and also used the opportunity to get a sense of the site for herself.

Walleys Quarry, Cemetery Road, Silverdale (Google).

She said: "I wanted to go and see the site to get a sense of scale. It's getting a sense of what these residents live with on a daily basis.

"It was very useful to hear from local residents about some of the actions that are underway – from the local council as well, in terms of the abatement notice – and this is all helpful information for me as we move to the next steps."

Mr Bell said it was an important visit and it provided an opportunity for residents to air their concerns directly with Dr Coffey.

He said: "I think it was really important to bring the secretary of state to Walleys Quarry, and to the area to meet people who've been affected by the landfill. I think it's given her and her officials at Defra a lot more context.

Mr Bell said the visit was a valuable opportunity for residents to voice their concerns (LDR).

"Because there are live investigations, she couldn't commit to anything in particular but she is satisfied those investigations are progressing.

"My priority as an MP is to keep the odour down and to get accountability. The only way we're going to get that is through due legal process."

He also said it was important work continues at the site to eliminate the odour – but conceded there have been concerns the issue has worsened more recently.

He said: "I know there's been a rise recently and I'd like to get to the bottom of why that is.

"I'm looking forward to the explanation when we get the figures through from the monitoring stations.

"As an MP I will continue to raise this in Parliament, and I will continue to raise it with Defra.

"I think it's absolutely vital that the company are held to account for failures that have occurred on their watch – there have been multiple failures, as evidenced by the multiple breaches that have been assessed in the last few years.

"I'd like to see the company take ownership of that, apologise and ideally offer compensation to residents who've been affected and had their quality of life or their health affected by the emissions."

A spokesperon for Walleys Quarry thanked Dr Coffrey for her visit (LDR).

A spokesperson for Walleys Quarry thanks Dr Coffey for her visit and said they were working tirelessly to alleviate concerns.

They said: "We want to thank the secretary of state for coming here today to engage with us and see for herself the tireless work we do every day to alleviate any local concerns and provide a clean, healthy and sustainable operation that supports our community.

"We have repeatedly sought to engage with all relevant political stakeholders. We greatly appreciate the secretary of state partaking in this constructive dialogue.

"We continue to work constantly to improve our site.

"We have already made huge progress with the Environment Agency's own reporting showing long term, significant and sustained reductions in emissions onsite.

"Local people and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council have recognised and commended this improvement."

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