The Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has criticised the Environment Agency after Walleys Quarry reopened three days after a fire at the landfill site.
At the height of the fire, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said there were six fire engines, a water carrier, and a high-volume pump being used at Walleys Quarry.
The fire occurred on Sunday 4 August 2024 at 23:00 and covered approximately 25m3 of waste.
Walleys Quarry said the fire service departed the site on Tuesday 6 August 2024 and waste deliveries recommenced Wednesday 7 August 2024.
Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Simon Tagg said it was “frustrating” to hear Walleys Quarry had resumed accepting waste after the fire.
Tagg said: “I fully understand why residents do not comprehend why the Environment Agency, which regulates the site, is not able to stop the operator accepting waste again before we know what caused the fire and fully understand all its implications.
“In light of the foul odours plaguing our communities, we have called repeatedly for the problems to be addressed and then the site closed and events such as this simply emphasise why the community is so concerned.”
From 1 January to 31 July, the Borough Council received 3,750 complaints about odours coming from the site in Silverdale, more than double the number received in 2023.
Walleys Quarry said that landfill gas infrastructure, the gas utilisation plant, and the site capping systems were unaffected and remained intact and operational throughout the fire.
A spokesperson for Walleys Quarry told Circular Online that it is “stringently regulated” by the Environment Agency and the site plays a vital role in offering residual waste disposal supporting wider recycling services.
An investigation is underway to identify the cause of the fire and the Environment Agency have been kept informed at each stage of the site reopening.
The spokesperson said: “The surface fire at Walleys Quarry landfill was extinguished quickly, following a period of observation by the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, and site management waste deliveries resumed in accordance with management procedures and standard industry practice.
“An investigation is underway to identify the cause of the fire and the Environment Agency have been kept informed at each stage of the site reopening.”
Environment Agency staff were involved in the immediate response to the fire and officers attended the site on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 August to support SFRS.
Tagg continued: “The Environment Agency suspended operations at the site in March for improvement work to be carried out.
“We were told this was done to the Environment Agency’s satisfaction, yet the problem remains: by the end of July the council had already received more than double the number of odour complaints than in 2023 – and there are still five months left in the year.
“The current approach is not working and there can only be one answer – closure.”
