Information on Whinney Hill Landfill Site, Accrington, Lancashire

Overview

We have created this page to provide easy access to information on Whinney Hill landfill site, Accrington, Lancashire.

We will keep the community up to date with any developments on our response to the increased reports and will share any new updates here. Please check back regularly for further information. This page was last checked and updated on 14 April 2025 with information about gull control and the next steps SUEZ are taking.

Gull Control – Next Steps

Over the next few weeks residents may hear gun shots coming from the landfill site and we'd like to reassure the community that there is nothing to be concerned about. These gun shots are an additional gull scaring tactic called ‘shoot to scare’ which Natural England has recommended SUEZ employ to try and change gull behaviour at the site.

As the name suggests, 'Shoot to scare' is only to scare the bird and signal to it that the area is not safe for them. This is a non-lethal measure and the shot must not hit the gull to ensure that no physical injury occurs.

To comply with its environmental permit, SUEZ must show that it is considering and undertaking all available appropriate measures to reduce the impact of gulls on residents, and ‘shoot to scare’ is one of these additional measures.

Heightened Regulatory Response

We are currently maintaining a heightened regulatory response at Whinney Hill, which includes monitoring the operator’s activities and ensuring that SUEZ meets the requirements of its environmental permit and manages the risk from odour and pests. We are maintaining close scrutiny of their operations. Due to this, there will be a delay in us getting back to you with a personal response to your complaint, please bear with us as we are focussing our resources on dealing with the issue the community is facing.

At the Environment Agency, we value both our customers and our dedicated team members. We strive to provide excellent service and create a positive experience for everyone. We recognise that sometimes, things don't go as planned, and frustrations can arise. We want to assure you that we are always here to listen and work towards a resolution.

However, we also believe in fostering a culture of mutual respect. Our team members work hard to assist you, and they deserve to do so in a safe and supportive environment.

Therefore, we have a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of verbal abuse, harassment, or disrespectful behavior directed towards our staff. We kindly ask that all interactions, whether in person, over the phone, or online, are conducted with courtesy and consideration.

We are committed to:

Treating everyone with respect: We believe that all individuals deserve to be treated with dignity.
Providing a safe and supportive environment: Our team members should be able to perform their duties without fear of abuse.
Working together to find solutions: We are dedicated to resolving any issues in a constructive and professional manner.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a respectful and positive environment for everyone.

Community Updates:

Latest update: Community Update - 19 December 2024

Previous updates:

Community Update - 24 September 2024

Community Update - 30 August 2024

Community Update - 8 August 2024

Community Update - 24 July 2024

Useful documents:

Whinney Hill Q&A Document - Updated 8 April 2025

Reporting incidents to the Environment Agency about Whinney Hill LFS

Whinney Hill Environmental Permit - BL9500IJ

Compliance Assessment Reports (CAR):

Please find below the recent site inspection reports. There is a minimum of 28 days from when we issue the reports to the operator to the date that we can publish them. We will add further CAR forms when they become available.

Please note that names of officers have been removed from these documents as disclosure would breach the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).

CAR 0532939 - 17 December 2024	CAR 0509632 - 26 July 2024
CAR 0533969 - 20 September 2024	CAR 0509632 - 24 June 2024
CAR 0518246 - 5 September 2024

Why is this happening?

In late 2023 the operator of the site, SUEZ Recycling and Recovery Lancashire Ltd, moved landfilling operations to a new location within its permitted area, known as Enfield Quarry. Enfield Quarry sits to the eastern end of the site and is closer to residential areas than previous operations. The map below shows the location of the new landfilling area marked in red.

The closer a landfill site is to residential areas, the greater the risk of it impacting the local community. Handling waste material does inevitably involve dealing with odorous material which may lead to occasional periods of odour and attract pests. Nonetheless, these should not have a prolonged effect on local residents and the surrounding areas.

What is the Environment Agency doing?

The Environment Agency is the primary regulator of the waste activities under the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations. We continue to monitor and perform our regulatory duties at Whinney Hill landfill site. We have made it clear to SUEZ that they must take all steps to minimise the impacts on the local community.

Permit Compliance:

Whinney Hill landfill site holds an environmental permit to accept non-hazardous waste for disposal and it is regulated by the Environment Agency. The environmental permit has conditions that Suez is required to follow to minimise the impact to the people and the environment. This includes managing the operations on site to control odour and pests.

Assessing Compliance:

It is our role to assess compliance with the permits and to take appropriate regulatory action if we identify any breaches. We do so by reference to our enforcement and sanctions policy and the Government’s core guidance on environmental permitting and with appropriate regard to the Regulators' Code.

Our regulatory team assess compliance with the permit conditions at the landfill in several ways including site inspection, audit, off-site odour assessments, and review of reports and monitoring data.

Landfill Operators and Environmental Permits

How weather affects landfills

We are aware from incident reports that there are concerns around odours late into the evening, overnight and early in the morning. The colder weather conditions experienced in winter and spring can sometimes increase the likelihood of smelling odour from landfills. The below video explains why.

If the above video is not displaying on your browser, you can view it here: How weather affects landfill sites. - YouTube

Multi-Agency Working:

We are working with a range of partners to resolves the issues at the site. These include Hyndburn Borough Council, Lancashire County Council, UK Health Security Agency and Natural England. Each organisation has a different role in providing advice or regulating under specific legislation at Whinney Hill landfill site -

Environment Agency - We are the primary regulator of Whinney Hill landfill site. This is done under the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations. The site is operated by Suez Recycling and Recovery Lancashire Ltd who hold the environmental permit for the site. The most appropriate way to deal with the current issues on the site is through that permit.

Hyndburn Borough Council - Have a duty for monitoring under statutory nuisance legislation.

Lancashire County Council - Have a dual role in planning control and public health guidance.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) - Provides the government and the public with health information based on evidence and information available.

Natural England - Advise on the natural environment in England, helping to protect England's nature and landscapes for people to enjoy.

Reporting Incidents

We are continuing to receive complaints and reports of pests and odour regarding Whinney Hill landfill site. We are encouraging residents in the community to continue to report the issues as this helps us to build up a picture of the extent and impact of the issues. You can report incidents to us 24 hours a day on 0800 807060 or by email at incident_communication_service@environment-agency.gov.uk

Health advice from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

What can I smell? What can I smell?

The odour pollution from landfill sites falls into two broad categories:

The first is the waste odour. This is caused by fresh waste rapidly decomposing and tends to come from vehicles travelling to and from the site and whilst it is tipped. This is similar to the odours that are contained within a domestic bin. It poses little risk to human health and can be tackled by depositing the waste quickly and covering it with soils called “daily cover”.
The second type of odour is landfill gas. This is gas generated by the breakdown of the waste inside the body of the landfill site. Landfill gas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide, which are odourless and colourless. However, landfill gas also contains trace components such as hydrogen sulphide that, even in very small quantities, has a strong smell of rotten eggs, which the human body is very sensitive to. Although the smell caused by the trace levels of hydrogen sulphide gas can be strong and unpleasant, it does not automatically mean that it is harmful. Our sense of smell is very sensitive and we can smell hydrogen sulphide at very low levels.

We are aware of symptoms reported within the community. These include reports of strong odours and transient health effects, such as eye and respiratory irritation. The human nose is very sensitive. Strong odours are unpleasant and can impact on wellbeing, leading to stress and anxiety. Some people may experience physical symptoms, such as nausea, headaches or dizziness, as a reaction to strong odours, even when the substances that cause those odours are not at concentrations that are directly harmful to health.

Are the smells causing or going to cause health effects? Are the smells causing or going to cause health effects?

The human nose is very sensitive. Many things have a strong smell at levels at which there are no direct harmful effects to health. However, strong smells are unpleasant and can impact on wellbeing leading to stress and anxiety. Some people may also experience symptoms, such as nausea, headaches or dizziness, as a reaction to strong smells, even when the substances that cause those smells are themselves not harmful to health. Following exposure to any substance, the adverse health effects depend on several factors, including the amount to which you are exposed (dose), the way in which you are exposed, the duration of exposure, the form of the chemical and if you were exposed to any other chemicals. The first noticeable effect of hydrogen sulphide at very low concentrations is its unpleasant odour, which may cause discomfort and some short-term health effects (as described in the paragraph above). At higher concentrations, it may cause eye, nose and throat irritation. It may also disturb sleep if experienced at night at low levels.

What should I do if I am concerned about my symptoms? What should I do if I am concerned about my symptoms?

If you are concerned about your symptoms, contact your GP or call NHS 111.

What can I do to reduce my risk? What can I do to reduce my risk?

Individuals can close doors and windows whilst the smell is present and then open them to vent the smell from the premises when the smell has cleared.

What symptoms may I experience as a result of odour? What symptoms may I experience as a result of odour?

Short-term transient health effects may be experienced such as irritation to the eyes, nose and throat. People who have health conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma, may experience increased frequency and/or severity of symptoms. With continuing exposure, these effects may be prolonged but are not anticipated to continue long-term once exposure is reduced.

What can I do to reduce symptoms caused by odour? What can I do to reduce symptoms caused by odour?

To limit the effects of the odour as much as possible, we would advise:

Close windows if there is an outdoor odour and open them once any outdoor odour has reduced.You could consider closing windows at night and opening them in the morning in the absence of odour.
Ventilate your property when there is no odour outdoors.

Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you have concerns about your individual circumstances and require health advice.

What is being done to understand the potential health impact of the odour on local residents, and how long will this take? What is being done to understand the potential health impact of the odour on local residents, and how long will this take?

In the case of individual sites, the Environment Agency carefully monitors the performance of a landfill site using a wide range of parameters including groundwater, surface water and air monitoring, pollution reports, the operator’s own monitoring and even aerial photography. We use all these parameters to determine the performance of the site and if we have concerns, we require the operator of the site to take steps to resolve them, promptly. If the operator of the permitted site does not respond to our concerns, we can carry out our own check monitoring and use a range of enforcement notices to force the operator of the site to take action.

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