Walleys Quarry Landfill Site - Latest Update

Closed 31 Mar 2023

Opened 3 Feb 2020

Overview

As of the 1 April this website will no longer be live. We will keep all of the information here until the 30 April as we continue to migrate documents over to our new site Walleys Quarry Landfill Site | Engage Environment Agency (engagementhq.com). After 30 April the site will be taken down.

What this Citizen Space site contains

To help everyone access information in the easiest way possible, from June 2021 we have two webpages: a latest update page and a community information page

Latest Update page

This Latest Update page shares our latest updates in relation to the Walleys Quarry Landfill Site, located at Cemetery Road, Silverdale, Newcastle under Lyme.

This page contains only the most up to date information, key messages and community events about the site.

Please Note: We are working hard to ensure all reports and complaints in relation to Walleys Quarry are responded to as quickly as possible, and understand the distress felt by the local community. However, we will not tolerate inappropriate behaviour to our staff that is either threatening, abusive or violent.

Please see our Unacceptable Customer Behaviour – Position Statement which sets out what customers can expect from us. In return we ask that customers respect our staff.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/552592/LIT_10503.pdf.

You have our assurance that we are doing our best to deal with every enquiry.

Community information page

You can find our previous updates and historical information on Walleys Quarry on our Community information page here. This page provides all the background and contains our previous updates about the site, historical information and related technical documents.

Contents:

1. Latest news and weekly updates on our regulatory work

2. Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

3. Community engagement

4. How we are working with others to regulate the site

5. Air Quality Monitoring update

6. Health update

7. How to contact us

1. Latest news and weekly updates on our regulatory work 

Weekly Update - 30 March 2023 

The Environment Agency has prepared this weekly update to help the community of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the wider area keep informed about developments concerning its regulation of Walleys Quarry Landfill.

Walleys Quarry Ltd is the operator of the landfill site and it alone is responsible for the hydrogen sulphide emissions escaping from the site.

The Environment Agency is the environmental regulator. We require Walleys Quarry Ltd to meet its environmental obligations and resolve the ongoing odour issues at the landfill as quickly as possible.       

News in Brief

This will be the last weekly update in this format. From next week we will be regularly updating our new website Environment Agency Engagement HQ Walleys Quarry Landfill Site with our latest news including any regulatory activity and air quality data. We will no longer be updating our Citizen Space web page.

To receive notifications of news updates to our new website please visit the latest news page to follow the project.

Regulatory Activity

We continue to actively regulate and assess Walleys Quarry Ltd’s compliance with its environmental permit by reviewing data and conducting inspections.

The extraction rate recorded at the gas utilisation plant (GUP) on 23 March 2023 was 2880m3/hr. The recorded level of hydrogen sulphide at the GUP on 22 March 2023 was 1840 ppm. These results are within the normal operational fluctuations we expect.

Facebook Group

The March Q&A session will be uploaded both to Facebook and our new website before the end of the month. We will continue to share this information on both platforms, so that non-Facebook users can access the videos. Our videos also feature subtitles, to aid accessibility.

You can join the Facebook group by clicking on the following link and accepting the rules for membership: Environment Agency - Walleys Quarry - Landfill Site | Facebook.

The next designated questions thread will open on Monday 3 April 2023 and remain open until 5pm on Thursday 7 April 2023 (due to the bank holiday). Non-Facebook users can also submit questions via email to enquiries_westmids@environment-agency.gov.uk until 5pm on Thursday 7 April 2023.  Please state ‘Facebook Question’ in the subject line and make it clear whether you prefer to remain anonymous.

Please note that there may be some questions we cannot answer for legal reasons, some which may fall outside our remit as the environmental regulator and some which we may group together, if they are on a common theme.

Reporting odour

It is important that you continue to report odour to us. Reports from local people, along with our regulatory visits and monitoring from our mobile monitoring facilities help to create a picture which informs our enforcement and regulatory approach. 

The easiest and quickest way to make a report is via GOV.UK at: https://report-walleys-quarry-smell.service.gov.uk. If you do report odour to us via our incident hotline, please be courteous to our staff. They are working to deal with your reports as efficiently as possible.

Latest hydrogen sulphide levels  

Our Ambient Air Monitoring Team continues to check air quality around Walleys Quarry landfill. It does this through a network of mobile monitoring facilities (MMFs) that are positioned in communities around the site. These check for levels of hydrogen sulphide and methane, which are indicators of odour pollution.

The chart below contains a summary of the raw data collected from our MMFs in the period 20 March to 26 March 2023. During this period, they remained the same at MMF1, MMF2 and MMF6 and increased slightly at MMF9.

It’s important to note that there will always be short-term fluctuations in the concentrations of hydrogen sulphide leaving the site, especially given the low concentrations we are monitoring. The causes can include factors such as the impact of improvement works being carried out on site and changes in the weather.

Hydrogen sulphide concentrations continue to be greatly reduced compared with the period when monitoring began, in both the source emission and ambient air measurements. Air quality monitoring data provides additional confidence that our ongoing regulation is ensuring the source emission of hydrogen sulphide from the landfill site continues to remain low.

We are not focusing on the monitoring data in isolation and recognise that people may still detect odour from the site. We continue to compare daily odour incident reports with air quality data and source emissions monitoring, looking for trends and issues which may require challenging Walleys Quarry Ltd to further improve site operations and the capture of fugitive emissions.

Odour Reports   

In the week 20 to 26 March 2023 the Environment Agency received a total of 56 odour reports from local members of the public. This is a decrease from the number received last week. The highest number of odour reports was on Saturday 19 March 2023, when we received 16 reports.

Correspondence

Other than by means of the Facebook Group mentioned above, we are unable to answer questions through social media. If you have a question, you can email us.  

Other sources of information       

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council: https://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/walleys-quarry

Staffordshire County Council: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Care-for-all-ages/Publichealth/Walleys-Quarry/Walleys-Quarry.aspx

Walleys Quarry Ltd website:  https://walleysquarry.co.uk   

Previous news

30 March 2023

23 March 2023

16 March 2023

9 March 2023

2 March 2023

23 February 2023

16 February 2023

9 February 2023

2 February 2023

26 January 2023

19 January 2023

12 January 2023

05 January 2023

22 December 2022

15 December 2022

08 December 2022

01 December 2022

24 November 2022

17 November 2022

10 November 2022

3 November 2022

27 October 2022

20 October 2022

13 October 2022

6 October 2022

29 September 2022

22 September 2022

15 September 2022

8 September 2022

1 September 2022

25 August 2022

18 August 2022

11 August 2022

4 August 2022

28 July 2022

21 July 2022

14 July 2022

7 July 2022

1 July 2022

23 June 2022

16 June 2022

9 June 2022

1 June 2022

26 May 2022

19 May 2022

12 May 2022

5 May 2022

28 April 2022

22 April 2022

14 April 2022

7 April 2022

For all other previous updates please see our Community Information Page 

2. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

We understand that you may have questions regarding landfills and how they work as well as more specific questions concerning this site.

We have put together a document that includes FAQs from your community concerning Walleys Quarry and generic landfill information that covers a wider range of questions from odour to pests. We hope this will be able to reassure and answer any questions that you may have about the site. The document can be viewed here.

To complement the FAQs we are sharing the top questions that you have asked us formally as well as our timeline and plan.

Timeline and our plan

The timeline shows the site’s history and our regulation so that you can understand our actions to date. You can view the timeline here.

The Environment Agency’s plan to achieve the required reductions in H2S emissions is available to view here.

Top questions

Question One: Why was our community representative not invited to the Walleys Liaison Committee meeting with Walleys Quarry Ltd?

Walleys Quarry Ltd is responsible for organising these liaison meetings, including the attendance list.

If you have questions about Walleys Liaison Committee meetings, you can contact Walleys Quarry Ltd with your enquiry at:

https://walleysquarry.co.uk/#contact

Minutes from previous meetings can be found on the Walleys Quarry Ltd website at:

https://walleysquarry.co.uk/#information

Question Two: I am concerned that my area is not recognised in your monitoring reports. Please can you explain why?

Our monthly Air Quality Monitoring Reports provide residents with updates on the data collected by our Mobile Monitoring Facilities (MMFs) at fixed locations around the Walleys Quarry Landfill Site. The location of the monitoring equipment adjacent to a permitted site is always a balance of a number of practical and technical factors. These include predominant wind direction, topography, permission to use land, power supplies, other sources of pollutants, security, mobile phone signal, and the number of complaints. However, this does not mean that we do not carry out odour assessments in other locations in the area.

The Environment Agency takes all reports we receive very seriously. Please be assured that each odour report submitted by the residents of Newcastle-Under-Lyme is recorded and taken into consideration. The Environment Agency’s priority remains ensuring that the operator, Walleys Quarry Ltd, takes effective action to secure sustained reduction in hydrogen sulphide emissions from its site. We are determined to tackle the problems at Walleys Quarry, as we have been throughout.

Question Three: What are you doing about heavy goods vehicles parked illegally on the brow of the hill near to Walleys Quarry?

Parking and vehicle movements outside the site boundary are not controlled by the environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency.

You may wish to consult the Staffordshire County Council website here: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Highways/Parking-and-enforcement/On-Street-Parking/Problem-parking/Report-problem-parking/Report-problem-parking.aspx 

You can find more information on the County Council’s role at Walleys Quarry by visiting:
https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Care-for-all-ages/Publichealth/Walleys-Quarry/Walleys-Quarry.aspx

Question Four: Why is gas still escaping from the site and causing an odour nuisance now that all the wells have been installed?

We do expect to see short term fluctuations in the concentrations of hydrogen sulphide leaving the site. The causes can include factors such as the temporary impact of improvement works being carried out on site and changes in the weather.

Odours associated with landfill gas emissions will increase during colder weather and still wind conditions. With less dispersion, the potential for causing odour nuisance is greater. This means improvements from measures implemented at Walleys Quarry Landfill to reduce odour could be less noticeable around this time of year.

The measures put in place to resolve the odour issue are being carried out in accordance with the programme set out in the published plan. These measures are designed to secure the effective resolution of the problem as soon as reasonably possible. It is not possible to precisely predict the effect that each individual step we have required Walleys Quarry Ltd to take will have.

Over the first two weeks of January, spikes in hydrogen sulphide levels were identified around the site. This led to an increase in odour complaints from the public. We believe that we have identified the contributing factors for the increased odour during this period and have informed Walleys Quarry Ltd of our findings. The company has 28 days from notification to challenge these. We are unable to provide any further information before this period expires.

Since mid-January, we have continued to see a reduction in hydrogen sulphide levels at each of the MMFs around the site. 

If after referring to this page and the documents you would still like to ask a question please attend one of our community engagement events or email us Enquiries_Westmids@environment-agency.gov.uk to let us know.

 

3.Community engagement

We continue to hold a variety of community engagement events to ensure you understand what action we are taking and to have an opportunity to ask questions.

For information on engagement by multi agency partners please see Section 4 of this page.

Facebook Sessions

Now that our facebook page is up and running, we will be holding Q&A sessions each month. You can view the transcripts below.

The first Q&A session was held on 25 May 2022 with West Midlands' Marc Lidderth and Clare Dinnis.

25 May 2022 transcript

Unfortunately we had to postpone the June 2022 Q&A session due to illness. In order to respond to your questions as quickly as possible we have recorded 3 shorter Q&A sessions, part 1 with West Midlands’ Mike Jenkins, parts 2 and 3 with Marc Lidderth.

29 June 2022 part 1 transcript

29 June 2022 part 2 transcript

29 June 2022 part 3 transcript

The third Q&A session was held on 27 July 2022 with West Midlands’ Marc Lidderth and Mike Jenkins.

27 July 2022 transcript

25 August 2022 transcript

28 September 2022 transcript

26 October 2022 transcript

28 November 2022 transcript

12 December 2022 transcript

21 December 2022 transcript - MMF data video

25 January 2023 transcript

28 February 2023 transcript

Recent community engagement

We’ve recently been out in the Knutton and Poolfields areas door knocking to talk to local people about our regulation of Walleys Quarry and to hear about and understand the impact of the landfill on daily lives.

We’re knocking doors randomly and are not purposely picking some and avoiding others. If the resident is out, we’ll pop a note through the letterbox to say we called. We will not ask to come in at any point, and it’s ok to not want to talk to us. We will be out in other areas in the coming weeks.

Future community engagement

We continue to work with multi-agency partners to plan the next steps for more community engagement, including further drop in events to ensure you understand what action we are taking and to have an opportunity to ask questions. 

Dates and details will be announced on this page and released in the latest update. Future sessions will be dependent on COVID restrictions and guidance at the time.

Previous community engagement

Drop-in session in December 2021

Our multi-agency drop in session took place on Thursday 1 December at the council offices in Newcastle Under Lyme. Some local residents who have been impacted by the landfill site turned out to speak to us – many thanks to those who attended for your comments and feedback.

This event was for residents, business owners and community members who are affected by the landfill site. Attendees could speak directly to senior officers from the Environment Agency, Staffordshire County Council, the UK Health Security Agency (formerly Public Health England), Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire Police.

There were no fixed presentation or speeches, and attendees could drop-in at any time during the opening hours and speak directly to representatives of the councils and agencies at different tables. Numbers in the hall were monitored to avoid over-crowding and other Covid-related measures were in place to ensure the health and well-being of all those attending.

Multi-agency partners face to face drop ins

We were really pleased to see lots of you at the multi-agency events on 5 October 2021 and 12 October 2021.  

All organisations valued the opportunity to have face to face conversations, to be able to hear from you, the concerns and experiences you have had and for us to be able to explain what we are continuing to do in dealing with this situation.

Multi-agency virtual engagement sessions

The multi-agency virtual engagement sessions held on 23 June 2021 and 3 August 2021 were with representatives from the Environment Agency, Public Health England (now UK Health Security Agency), Staffordshire County Council and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (who represent GPs in the area).

Community engagement session - 3 August 2021

Community engagement session - 23 June 2021

Environment Agency virtual engagement sessions

Our virtual meetings were an opportunity for the community to hear an update on Environment Agency actions and next steps first hand as well as having the opportunity to ask us questions which might include our regulation, the work we have told Walleys Quarry Ltd to carry out, etc.

Community engagement session - 9 June 2021

Community engagement session - 26 May 2021

4. How we are working with others to regulating the site

A report by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s Office (CSAO) on Walleys Quarry Landfill odorous emissions has been published and can be found at: Science Search (defra.gov.uk)

We welcome the Report compiled by Defra’s CSAO. The good progress made on mitigating the concentration of hydrogen sulphide noted in the report has continued through 2022. The concentration of hydrogen sulphide in the gas management system has reduced further to around 1200ppm in Autumn 2022. All four monitoring facilities around the site have shown a monthly average concentration of hydrogen sulphide at or below the long-term health-based guidance value since May 2022. Many of the report’s recommendations are consistent with measures we have required Walleys Quarry to implement, as set out in our Plan to reduce hydrogen sulphide emissions. We will consider the report fully and if necessary review and revise the Plan in the future. 

Multi agency response

Over a number of years, we have been working with partners to address local community concerns about Walleys Quarry Landfill. We have put in place and are supporting a multi-agency response to deal with the current odour issues. This includes working with the Local Resilience Forum that also help coordinate regulatory, engagement and communication responses. This ensures different issues are tackled in coordinated way across multiple partners, each with different responsibilities. They include:

  • The Environment Agency
  • Staffordshire County Council
  • Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
  • UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA - formerly Public Health England)

Engagement by multi agency partners

For media statements and community engagement events held by multi agency partners please see information and links below:

Tuesday 6 July from 5.30pm to 7.00pm

The Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG) of Staffordshire Resilience Forum agencies will be holding a virtual community engagement event on Tuesday 6 July from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. Representatives from the Environment Agency, Public Health England (now UKHSA), the NHS, and officers from Staffordshire County Council and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council will be taking part. An update on the situation, the impact on health, and progress on actions being taken to reduce the air pollution will be given, followed by an opportunity for people to ask questions. People can log on at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8137051666089376524 

Walleys Quarry Liaison Meetings

We also attend regular community liaison meetings that are facilitated by the operator Walleys Quarry Ltd. and are part of their planning permission issued by Staffordshire County Council.

More Information

- Red Industries - Staffordshire County Council - Councillors of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council - Offices of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council - Silverdale Parish Council - Environment Agency - Knutton representative - Thistleberry Residents Association - Local Resident - Poolfields Residents Association

More Information

Environment Agency
We regulate the two environmental permits held by the operator for the landfill. The permit covers on-site activities with the aim of minimising the impact on the local environment in terms of air quality, noise, odour, dust, leachate and impacts to groundwater. We enforce that permit through monitoring and undertaking site visits (both announced and unannounced) and where needed we take enforcement action to address compliance issues. Should you have concerns with regards to odour outside of the site boundaries, pests or any other pollution matters relating to the sites please see the ‘How to contact us section’
 
Staffordshire County Council
Staffordshire County Council is responsible for determining planning permission across the area. Our comments on planning applications. The Council also has responsibilities for traffic movement. This is part of planning permission for the site and is not included in our permit conditions.
 
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council is responsible for regularly monitoring air quality across the area, to ensure that it does not impact human health. The council is also responsible for statutory nuisance, and assessing odour in property.
 
UK Health Security Agency UKHSA (formerly Public Health England)
UKHSA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, and a distinct organisation with operational autonomy. They provide government, local government, the NHS, Parliament, industry and the public with evidence-based professional, scientific expertise and support. They have no statutory powers in relation to odorous sites and therefore work with multi-agency partners to ensure public health is protected. If residents have health concerns then they should contact their local GP in the first instance or ring the NHS helpline 111.

 

Further information

If you would like to find out more about these meetings including the meeting notes please visit the Walleys Quarry webpage.

If any further residents are interested in joining these meetings to represent the community or would like to ask Walleys Quarry Ltd any questions please email: enquiries@redindustries.co.uk

 

5. Air Quality Monitoring

Picture 4: Galingale View- Air Quality monitoring specialist mobile monitoring

Picture 1: Galingale View- Air Quality monitoring specialist mobile monitoring

We are committed to regularly sharing the results from our air quality monitoring that we have underway around the site. In March 2021, we installed two specialist mobile monitoring facilities (MMFs), located at Galingale View and Silverdale Pumping Station. We also agreed with partners to install a further two, to support our multi-agency response to the issues at Walley’s Landfill.  In April 2021, we installed these just off Cemetery Road and on Galingale View.

The mobile monitoring facilities are purposely placed in areas where we observe odour, taking account of local geography, and available power supplies. They are funded by the Environment Agency to support our regulatory work but as they can also be used to provide information to health professionals to make health assessments, two are partly funded by Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council and Staffordshire County Council. The mobile monitoring facilities began collecting data at the beginning of March 2021 and we expect to continue till March 2022 or further if required.

Monitoring and data 

The units monitor particulates (PM), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (known as BTEX), methane (CH4) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) -these last two are surrogates for odour pollution. The units also have the capacity to collect weather data, which is important in determining how gases travel and disperse in the environment. The data has been used to support our regulatory actions and assess the type, time and nature of the emissions from the site. We also shared this information with Staffordshire County Council and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to support their regulatory work. The data can also be used to provide public health information, so we share the data with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) who generate monthly public health risk assessment which provide expert opinion on any human health impacts.

It is important to note that they do not exclusively monitor the emissions from the landfill site. Instead they monitor all the ambient air around the landfill site which can will include emissions from other sources as well.

Air quality monitoring reports 

We provide various reports and sets of data that is publicly available and we want to clearly explain how and when these will be produced.  

Weekly Report on Hydrogen Sulphide Concentrations in Ambient Air

Our Ambient Air Monitoring Team continues to monitor the ambient air quality around Walley’s Quarry Landfill Site. It does this through a network of mobile monitoring stations (MMFs) that are positioned in communities around the site. These check for levels of hydrogen sulphide and methane, which are surrogates to measure odour nuisance. The latest news section above includes a chart with a summary of the latest (weekly) raw data collected from our ambient air mobile monitoring facilities (MMFs).  

It is important to note that there will be short term fluctuations in the concentrations of hydrogen sulphide leaving the site. The causes can include factors such as the impact of improvement works being carried out on site and changes in the weather. Concentrations of landfill gas emissions generally increase during colder weather and still wind conditions. With less ability for the landfill gas emissions to disperse, there is a greater potential for these emissions to cause an odour nuisance on the local community.     

By contrast, in warmer weather the gases are naturally more diluted due to higher temperatures and rising air. This means improvements from measures implemented at Walleys Quarry Landfill to reduce odour could be less noticeable around this time of year. However, it is important to note that despite short term spikes, the overall trend in the levels of hydrogen sulphide concentrations in the ambient air continues to reduce.  

Monthly Air Quality Reports

We produce a Monthly Air Quality Report which provides information on the data recorded. This is also published on these webpages along with the UKHSA report: UKHSA Health Risk Assessment Air Quality Monitoring.

February 2023

EA Air Quality Report - February 2023

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - February 2023

January 2023

EA Air Quality Report - January 2023

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - January 2023

December 2022

EA Air Quality Report - December 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - December 2022

November 2022

EA Air Quality Report - November 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - November 2022

October 2022

EA Air Quality Report - October 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - October 2022

September 2022

EA Air Quality Report - September 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - September 2022

August 2022

EA Air Quality Report - August 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - August 2022

July 2022

EA Air Quality Report - July 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - July 2022

June 2022

EA Air Quality Report - June 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment – June 2022

May 2022

EA Air Quality Report - May 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - May 2022

April 2022

EA Air Quality Report - April 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - April 2022

March 2022

EA Air Quality Report - March 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - March 2022

February 2022

EA Air Quality Report - February 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - February 2022

January 2022

EA Air Quality Report - January 2022

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - January 2022

December 2021

EA Air Quality Report - December 2021

UKHSA Health Risk Assessment - December 2021

November 2021

EA Air Quality Report -  November 2021

UKHSA (formerly PHE) Health Risk Assessment - November 2021

October 2021

EA Air Quality Report - October 2021

UKHSA (formerly PHE) Health Risk Assessment - October 2021

September 2021

EA Air Quality Report - September 2021

UKHSA (formerly PHE) Health Risk Assessment - September 2021

August 2021

EA Air Quality Report - August 2021

UKHSA (formerly PHE) Health Risk Assessment - August 2021

July 2021

EA Air Quality Report - July 2021

PHE Health Risk Assessment - July 2021 

June 2021

EA Air Quality Report - June 2021

PHE Health Risk Assessment - June 2021

May 2021

EA Air Quality Report - May 2021

PHE Health Risk Assessment - May 2021

April 2021

EA Air Quality Report - April 2021

PHE Health Risk Assessment - April 2021

Environment Agency Monthly Air Quality Data

The Environment Agency conducts all its monitoring and data handling using approved standards and methodologies and is externally audited. As a result, the data we use in our reports is called ‘rectified data’. This is data that has had calibrations applied and some basic quality assurance checking carried out but it is still likely to change once calibrations are applied to the full data set at the end of the study. This is a standard approach that needs to be taken when conducting highly sensitive air quality monitoring. You can download the latest rectified data using the links below. Please note these are large data files which may take some time to download.

EA Monthly Rectified Air Quality Data (updated each month with the latest data we have collected)

MMF 1 (Silverdale cemetery) Silverdale Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Data March 2021 - February 2023

MMF 2 (Silverdale Road Pumping Station) Silverdale Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Data March 2021 - February 2023

MMF 6 (Newcastle under Lyme Fire Station) Silverdale Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Data March 2021 - February 2023

MMF 9 (Galingale View Pumping Station) Silverdale Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Data March 2021 - February 2023

Environment Agency Interim Air Quality Reports

We normally provide detailed assessment of the data we collect at the end of each study in what we call a Final Report. As the monitoring at this location is continuing for some time we have carried out a detailed assessment of the data and published an Interim Report. We expect to publish further Interim Reports as the monitoring continues and they will be available in the table below.

Interim Reports

Environment Agency – Study of Ambient Air Quality at Silverdale, Interim Report 1 – March to September 2021

We have produced a report looking at the air quality data that we have collected at the four mobile monitoring facilities (MMF’s) that are deployed in Silverdale. The report identifies the local sources of hydrogen sulphide and quantifies the environmental impact of the emissions from these sources on the surrounding area and the local community. A copy of the report is available at the hyperlink above.

Environment Agency - Study of Ambient Air Quality at Silverdale, Interim Report 2 - 4 March 21 to 31 May 2022

We have now produced a second interim report looking at the air quality data that we have collected at the four mobile monitoring facilities (MMF’s) that are deployed in Silverdale. This second report looks at all the data available between March 2021 through to May 2022. A copy of the report is available at the hyperlink above.

Environment Agency Task Specific Analysis Interim Air Quality Reports

We are also using the data to identify trends, correlate the data with weather patterns, look at the time and day of increases (and decreases), weather analysis and if certain activities on the site or in the local area, contribute to the issues. This is ongoing internal work and used to inform our regulatory activities. This work will be included in our Final Report if appropriate. These reports are available below.

Comparisons of Ambient Air Quality Data at MMF9 Galingale View, Silverdale

This report provides comparisons of ambient air quality data at MMF9 Galingale View, Silverdale between the 6 March 2021 – 30 April 2021 and 6 March 2022 – 30 April 2022.

 

Environment Agency Air Quality Exceedance Reports

If the levels of hydrogen sulphide exceed the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guideline level for health impacts (this is recorded over a 24hr average) we will inform all partners immediately and produce report within 48hrs. Public Health England will be immediately informed so advice can be issued from our public health partners Staffordshire County Council. We call this an Exceedance Report. Exceedance Reports are published below.

Monthly Air Quality Monitoring Report - March Monitoring Period (4 March – 31 March 21)

The reported pollutants are hydrogen sulphide (H2S), methane (CH4), oxides of nitrogen (NOX, NO, NO2) and a number of different particulate matter size fractions (Total Suspended Particulate (TSP), PM10 and PM2.5). The H2S data is compared against the WHO guideline values for both odour annoyance and health. The particulate data and the NOX data will eventually be compared against the objectives of the UK Air Quality Strategy (AQS), but as these are annual standards the current data set is too small for such a comparison to be made at the moment.

Note the format of this document was eventually adopted for use in the Monthly Environment Agency Air Quality Reports

Environment Agency Final Report

At some point (to be determined by partners and what is happening at the landfill), we will produce a Final Report which will provide a detailed assessment. This will be made available below when available

Previous Final Reports

We have previously installed specialist air quality monitoring equipment in 2018 and 2019 to enable us to further understand the potential impact on air quality from Walley’s Quarry landfill site. 

Study of Ambient Air Quality at Silverdale Road 6 July 2017 to 14 February 2018

Comparison of the particulate data from the monitoring at Silverdale with the Air Quality Strategy objectives showed that the monitoring location was subject to concentrations that would meet their respective AQS objectives. The hydrogen sulphide data was compared with its World Health Organisation guidelines and was found to be within the specified health limits. Comparison of the data with the guideline for odour annoyance indicated that there were 34 instances during the monitoring period, on 11 separate days where the 30-minute average hydrogen sulphide concentration was greater than 7μg/m3. These results suggest that complaints due to odour nuisance from hydrogen sulphide could be expected for less than 1% of the monitoring period. 

Study of Ambient Air Quality at Silverdale 15 January 2019 and 25 June 2019

Comparison of the particulate, nitrogen dioxide and benzene data from the monitoring at Silverdale with the Air Quality Strategy objectives showed that the monitoring location was subject to concentrations that would be expected to meet their respective AQS objectives. Toluene, ethylbenzene and m&p-xylenes were found to be below their respective Environmental Assessment Levels.

The hydrogen sulphide and toluene data were compared with their respective World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Toluene was found to be below the specified health and odour levels. Comparison of the hydrogen sulphide data between the 15 January 2019 and 12 February 2019 (28 days) with the WHO guidelines showed that concentrations were below health guidelines but exceeded odour guidelines for 6% of the shorter monitoring period.

Comparison of the hydrogen sulphide data between the 28 February 2019 and 25 June 2019 (118 days) with the WHO guidelines showed that concentrations were below health guidelines but exceeded odour guidelines for 1% of the monitoring period. Consideration of the directional sources of hydrogen sulphide and methane suggested that the highest contributing sources were seen from the direction of the landfill site, alongside lower contributing sources. Consideration of the directional sources of oxides of nitrogen suggested that the highest contributing sources were seen from the direction of the landfill site from the gas management compound, alongside lower contributing sources. 

Previous Air Quality Monitoring (2017-19)

We have previously installed specialist air quality monitoring equipment in 2018 and 2019 to enable us to further understand the potential impact on air quality from Walleys Quarry landfill site.

This equipment was installed on:

6 July 2017 - 14 February 2018 on the pumping station off Silverdale Road

15 January 2019 - 25 June 2019 near the northern boundary of the site, on the grounds of Garner’s Garden Centre. 

Summaries of the previous air quality monitoring reports are available to view below and full reports can be provided on request.

Walleys quarry report summary 2019

Walleys quarry report summary 2017-2018

The Public Health England (PHE) response to the Air Quality Monitoring carried out in 2017-2019 is linked here.

6. Health update

It is important to note, that it is not our role and we are not qualified to give health advice to the public. If residents have health concerns our advice is to speak to their local GP. The local authority’s Environmental Health Department and Public Health England will be able to provide appropriate advice to local GP’s. Both organisations are represented on the Walley’s Quarry local liaison group.

More Information

We recognise that odour is a nuisance which can cause stress and anxiety, and some people may experience symptoms such as nausea, headaches or dizziness even when a substance that causes the smells is not harmful to health at the concentrations present. If people have any health concerns, they should contact their local GP or ring the NHS helpline 111.

More Information

Staffordshire county council are asking people who live near to Walleys Quarry, to share valuable information to help better understand and monitor the impact that Walleys Quarry is having on residents’ health. They are asking residents to complete a simple questionnaire, on a daily basis, to inform them of the symptoms residents are experiencing, as a result of Walleys Quarry https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Care-for-all-ages/Publichealth/Walleys-Quarry/Smell-and-symptom-tracker.aspx

More Information

If you would like to talk to someone about any mental wellbeing issues there are a number of sources of help, listed here: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Advice-support-and-care-for-adults/Keeping-well-and-staying-healthy/Mental-health.aspx. Anyone experiencing significant mental health issues should see their GP for a referral to Primary Care Mental health services.

More Information (incl PHE's review of AQM data)

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA - formerly Public Health England) is aware of the ongoing odour situation around Walleys Quarry landfill site. They continue to support multiagency partners in the response to the situation. UKHSA supports the EA to interpret any monitoring data and identify any potential impact on health. UKHSA's / PHEs review of the April air quality monitoring data can be seen here.

7. How to contact us

More Information

Please use our online reporting form. All reports are logged and a unique reference number is generated for each report. This unique reference number will be shared with you using the contact details provided. The report will be sent to the relevant team for investigation. If you are unable to use the online form, please report your odour issues to us via 0800 80 70 60. Due to the high volume of reports about this site if you would like feedback on your report please email Enquiries_WestMids@environment-agency.gov.uk to be added to our mailing list to receive our updates directly.

 

More Information

If you wish to log a complaint (a complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction made against us, a member of our staff or anyone working on our behalf), please email Enquiries_WestMids@environment-agency.gov.uk

More Information

If you wish to submit a general enquiry or Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulations request: Please contact our Enquiries Team via Enquiries_WestMids@environment-agency.gov.uk . This email address should not be used for reporting odour issues with the site as this may delay the logging of your report instead please email us here. This link will open a template email for you to complete and send to our Incident Communications Service (ICS).

More Information

Our staff being present on site and in the local area is a critical part of our response. It is something we have always prioritised and that we have stepped up since the beginning of this year. We plan to continue with this. Unfortunately we have recently had inappropriate behaviour and threats directed towards our staff from a minority of people. We know you are frustrated and angry and our staff will be professional and fair when they deal with members of the community. In return we ask the community to respect our staff whether this is in person or over the phone. We will not tolerate any abuse of our staff and will report any incidents to Staffordshire Police attributed to the site.

Audiences

  • Businesses
  • Members of the public
  • Elected representatives, including MPs
  • Local councils
  • Environment Agency customers
  • Environment Agency colleagues

Interests

  • Business and industry
  • Waste
  • Permits
  • Environmental permitting
  • Installation