Smell complaints linked to Walleys Quarry in Newcastle-under-Lyme are up according to the latest data.

The latest figures for the month of May show over 1,000 complaints lodged with either the Environment Agency or Newcastle Borough Council.

This compares to the month prior to the suspension notice being issued at the beginning of March when complaints hit 4,210 to both authorities in the month of February. The new data shows that while complaints are still high they are appearing in "spikes".

The spikes mainly occur on the weekend, with one third of the odour events taking place during the weekend. In total in May there were 15 'odour events' these events take place when 10 or more complaints happen in a single day.

Ongoing legal action is coming along although permission to proceed is needed from the government (Google).

Council Leader, Simon Tagg said: "The upsurge again, we've seen it on complaints, we've seen a lot of noise on social media about the increase in odours, again around the weekend times which has always been the case. This operator is not running the site really enough in a good way to stop the odours coming out and that's always been the case."

The council also heard that the ongoing legal action is coming along with leading environmental expert witnesses now appointed following the advice from Kings Counsel Lawyers. However in order to proceed with legal action permission for the government is required.

Councillor Andy Fear added: "I am hearted that we're good to go. I think it's almost inevitable that if we have to have permission from the government, now we're in a general election that's going to delay the process. We've fulfilled our side of the staff so when we get someone in the middle and I don't really care what colour of government it is in the middle.

"I want to see them treat this at the top of their priorities. This has been going on for too long in Newcastle, we need to get that permission, we need to get going but at least we're ready to do that."

A spokesperson for Walleys Quarry commented: "The Landfill site holds an environmental permit and is stringently regulated by the Environment Agency to ensure the onsite activities do not cause harm to human health or the environment. The Management team recognise the impact that odours can have for local residents. 

"The Site team continually inspect the waste deliveries and activities on the landfill to ensure that odour risks are managed, minimised and eradicated. The team is focused on managing the site to minimise impacts to the community around the site and we will continue to do so."

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