'Acrid and evil' smoke engulfs Cornwall seaside town
Residents in a seaside town have been forced to stay indoors after organic compost was set fire at a local farm and 'acrid and evil smoke' blew over their homes. Locals in Falmouth have been complaining about what many have described as an 'acrid' and 'vile' stench coming down from local organic farm Greenspot at Higher Kergilliack on the Constantine Road after thick greyish smoke billowed down the hill including over at the Persimmon Homes Eve Parc development, in Penryn and even down towards Gyllyngvase Beach.
Many locals have taken to social media wondering about the smell. On the Falmouth,Penryn And Surrounding Areas Community Information X on Facebook, which has more than 24,000 members, some residents said the smoke has been blowing downhill for almost a week.
Others said it had been worse at the weekend when high winds and bad weather seemed to disperse the acrid smoke all over Falmouth. One resident said: "The smell was vile on Sunday night and really strong around Eve Parc." A fellow resident added: "It was the same down at Boslowic. I generally thought there was a fire in my house and woke up in a panic."
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Some residents said the smell had become so bad they had to close all the windows. One resident posted: "I ended up having to close my windows and the rooms stunk of smoke all night. It ended up right down my throat."
Another said: "The smell of smoke was dreadful at times this weekend. You can smell it indoors. It's ongoing. I have had to close my windows and take the washing in. This is poor environment air pollution and cannot be good for one’s health. This needs investigating."
A resident in Budock Water contacted CornwallLive to say: "A toxic waste bonfire has been burning for at least three days now. Neighbours in Falmouth are talking about it. My next door neighbour can't even take her baby out for a walk. It smells plasticky."
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Some residents fear the fire could slow burn for days on ends as such fires can be hard to contain. One member of the Facebook group wrote: "Only way to deal with a fire like that is spread it out, wet it and let it cool. The heat inside will keep reigniting it even after it rains due to the size of the pile."
The owner of Greenspot, Neil Pengelly, said he has been trying to deal with the problem which he believes was caused by piles of compost being set alight without his knowledge, which then led to the thick cloud of smoke to drift across Falmouth and Penryn.
He said it was not the first time this has happened over the years, when what he believes to be children previously set fire to piles of compost.
Both Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency are understood to have paid Greenspot a visit to try and put the fire out and ensure it does not happen again.
When CornwallLive called Greenspot, a staff member told us: "It's compost. It's never burnt. The idea is to put it out in small lumps in fields so it gets trampled in by cows. It would be stupid to burn it. Burning compost would defeat the object. We are trying to sort it out."
Falmouth town councillor David Saunby said he had been up to the farm to speak to Mr Pengelly who assured him he would never set fire to compost and insisted he was working closely with the local authorities on resolving the matter promptly.
Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham said she was aware of the situation and has also contacted the authorities in charge to see how this can be sorted out.
On her Facebook page she posted: "I’ve had more phone calls and messages about the fire at Greenspot. We’re finding out what the situation is and why it’s still ongoing from the fire service and Environment Agency."
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “The Environment Agency is working as part of the multi-agency group to manage any impacts to the environment and investigate any potential offences that may have been committed.”
A spokesperson for Cornwall Council confirmed that Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service was called to the site at 8.22am on Monday, September 30.
They said: "One appliance attended. The landowner had been in contact with the Environment Agency and was advised to let the fire burn as the best method to extinguish."
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