A petition launched calling for the closure of Walleys Quarry has hit over 2,500 signatures in just 48 hours. This comes after last month Newcastle Borough Council also called for the closure of the site.

The petition has been organised by Newcastle-under-Lyme MP, Aaron Bell, in who said the time has come to shut Walley's Quarry once and for all. Recent data shows that complaints over the stink have reached a two-year high.

Speaking after the petition reached 2,500 signatures, Mr Bell said: "I am delighted by the response to my petition so far. I am calling on everyone affected in Newcastle-under-Lyme to sign my petition at www.shutwalleys.co.uk. Let's show the Environment Agency we want action."

"Already, the people of Newcastle have shown how strongly they feel about what they have been put through by this operator. I hope the weight of public opinion will put even more pressure on the Environment Agency to act. When I meet again with Phil Duffy, the EA's Chief Executive later this month, I will make sure he understands the weight of public feeling."

The petition has hit over 2,500 signatures in just 48 hours (https://www.shutwalleys.co.uk).

Walleys Quarry has hit back against the claims by the MP calling the petition 'grandstanding' and a 'desperate attempt to divert attention' from real issues.

In January the Environment Agency told residents that they were 'not satisfied' the operator was taking the necessary steps to prevent elevated emissions, however a closure notice would only be issued as a last resort.

Newcastle Borough Council is set to debate whether to launch judicial reviews regarding the lack of action by both the Environment Agency and the government in protecting the residents of Newcastle.

A spokesman for Walleys Quarry said: "Mr Bell continues to prefer grandstanding gestures involving egregious and wrong accusations to working constructively with Walleys Quarry, the regulators and our community as we strive to provide a clean, healthy and sustainable operation.

"He continually refuses either to meet us or to work together with us; an approach which can achieve little beyond his own self-promotion.

"He makes the facile call for closure without giving any thought or effort towards the practical realities. By contrast we remain committed to our end goal. In time Walleys Quarry Ltd. will cease to operate as a landfill and restoration will be completed. 

"This cannot be achieved through any sort of immediate closure, as Mr Bell knows full well. In the meantime, all onsite emissions remain well within World Health Organisation guidelines and pose no risk to health.

"His petition stunt smacks of a desperate attempt to divert attention from what he knows are the real issues. It appears to be motivated more by a sense of self-preservation than any real concern for the best interests of his constituents."

----------

READ MORE: What's on in Stoke this weekend: Artisan markets, pot throwing and live theatre

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.