'I'm absolutely elated' - Families celebrate as Walleys Quarry now shut

Adam Dutton & Rob Andrews
·2-min read
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Residents living in Britain's smelliest village are breathing a sigh of relief after Walleys Quarry was ordered to close following a legal row lasting more than a decade. They had long complained about the stench coming from the Silverdale landfill.

They said fumes left a foul odour like "bad eggs" or "dirty nappies" making them ill and seriously affecting their quality of life.

More than 1,000 complaints about smells wafting into people's homes were made almost every month in a row which has spanned over 10 years. But The Environment Agency has now slapped Walleys Quarry with a closure notice which means no new waste can be brought onto the site from today.

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Now residents are celebrating.

Mum-of-two Jenny Taylor, 31, said: "Everybody is over the moon because we've battled for years to reach this moment. It should never have taken this long and there's still a lot of work to be done because this smell won't disappear overnight. It has affected all of us one way or another and it's outrageous it wasn't dealt with sooner. Having said that, we are here now and everyone is delighted."

Walleys Quarry landfill site in Silverdale -Credit:SWNS
Walleys Quarry landfill site in Silverdale -Credit:SWNS

Lee-Bernadette Walford, of campaign group Stop the Stink, added: “I’m absolutely elated. We’ve been waiting for this for years and years and years and years. However we have got a really long road ahead of us.

Walleys Quarry is challenging the closure notice. Any appeal would be heard by a planning inspector.

A Walleys Quarry spokesman said: “We have received a closure notice from the Environment Agency. We are clear that keeping the site open delivers the greatest benefit and sustainability for the site. We will challenge this decision using all available options. Walleys Quarry has made extensive factual and legal submissions to the Environment Agency which in our view they have not substantively engaged with. As a business we completely reject the accusations made by the Environment Agency relating to poor management of the landfill site.”

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