RESIDENTS have revealed what life is like in England’s smelliest town, where a horrendous stench hangs over their homes.
Locals say the fumes from a nearby landfill site leave a foul odour of “bad eggs”, making them ill and seriously affecting their quality of life.
The website for Walley’s Quarry, located outside Newcastle-under-Lyme and two miles from Stoke-on-Trent, says it “offers customers a safe disposal method for waste that cannot be otherwise re-used or recycled”.
But people in the area surrounding the tip are furious about the smell, reportedly caused by the release of hydrogen sulfide gas.
Pamela Morrall, 65, a former nursery nurse, told The Sun Online: “At times it’s so terrible it makes me sick.”
Asthmatic Pamela claimed that she has needed extra inhalers and medication after the smell from the site made her condition worse.
She raged: “The fumes from the waste are worst at certain times of year. I can always tell when it’s going off over there because I wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes at 2.30am, coughing.
“It’s so unpleasant, it’s like sulphur and gets in your throat, a burning sensation and it smells like absolutely horrible bad eggs.
“The tip’s full of anything and everything – even obnoxious medical waste being is driven down from Scotland, we’ve heard and even see the lorries.
“It’s a dumping ground for all and we’re all suffering the consequences. It is such a shame, this used to be such a lovely area.”
Pamela’s husband is lucky as he has no sense of smell, but she says the stench “seeps through” the house and leaves them unable to use their garden in summer.
Her neighbour Charles Wheadwall, 75, agrees that the smell has become unbearable.
He said: “It smells like gas and it’s coming from the quarry near us.
“We’ve heard the company has started capping off part of the old quarry to burn off the gases.
“It is a very pungent smell. Even when you’re in the car park at Tesco on the outskirts of Stoke loading up your shopping, it’s really smelly. It’s surprising.”
The pottery manager, who has complained to the local authorities about the issue, also believes that it will depress house prices in the area if anyone tries to sell up and move away.
He added: “I noticed that a dozen houses had been sold then eight weeks later three were up for sale again.
“I reckon the impact of the landfill and associated smells had out potential buyers off.”
A protest group called Stop the Stink was launched to pressure authorities to take action, but has so far been unsuccessful.
They claim locals are suffering from asthma attacks, headaches, stress, anxiety and sleeplessness and liken the stench to “rotting flesh” and “dirty nappies”.
Stoke and the surrounding area have seen an average of two complaints per day about the landfill’s pong in the past year, with 860 objections raised.
Claire Watson, an odour expert at Airmatic, said: “Odour complaints are a direct result of air pollution in an area.
“This can have a negative effect on the health and well-being of the residents in such areas with them breathing in air pollutants.
“These can enter our bloodstream and contribute to coughing or itchy eyes and cause or worsen many respiratory conditions.
“Aside from the physical health impacts, there are also the negative mental effects on residents living day to day exposed to such odours.”
A spokesperson for Stoke City Council said: “We are aware of the numerous complaints over the past couple of years with the issue of odour. But the situation is not prevalent in Stoke city.
“It is mainly in the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme where the quarry is and the authority there is dealing with the issue.”
A spokesperson for Walley’s Quarry said: “Walleys Quarry Ltd has worked tirelessly to reduce any emissions onsite, and Environment Agency data shows odour emissions levels are now consistently at 0%.
“By 2026, the entire site will be permanently capped and transformed into open parkland with greenery, ponds and pathways”
