'Landfill smell means I can't breathe properly'

A couple who switched English coastlines for their dream retirement have said it is being ruined by a "terrible smell" coming from a nearby landfill site and they are forced to move out when it becomes unbearable.

Ian Durn, 73, said the stench from the Transwaste site on Jameson Road in Fleetwood was "a living nightmare", while his partner, Christine Butterworth, 83, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said there were days when she "just can't breathe".

The couple moved to Fleetwood from Scarborough 15 years ago.

Other residents in the town have complained about a rotten egg smell since February 2024 but operator Transwaste said it was dealing with the problem.

Ms Butterworth said: "I should have my windows open to help my condition but I can't."

She said the smell from the site a mile-and-a-half away was "more chemical than organic".

Mr Durn said the stink was all encompassing, and described its onset "as if a valve is released", adding: "It just hits you suddenly."

Ms Butterworth said on one occasion she was on her way to the hairdressers when the smell filled the air.

"It literally takes your breath away," she said.

"I was talking about it in the hairdressers and one of the girls who works there said the same thing had happened to her."

The 83-year-old said it made her cough repeatedly as well as causing headaches and dizzy spells.

If things get too bad the couple escape over the Pennines to their former flat in Scarborough where their son lives.

However both said: "It shouldn't have to be this way."

Mr Durn, who worked for British Gas for 30 years, said: "If people took a sample and put it in a chromatagraph we might know what it is."

Transwaste said it had stopped waste deliveries and was working to cap a section of the site "with a thick layer of clay in order to completely seal it".

"We will then install 11 deep gas wells to maximise gas extraction from the cell and resolve the odour issue," it added.

The Environment Agency (EA) said it had received 1,125 complaints in February compared to 270 in January and 21 in December.

John Neville, of the EA, said: "We understand the community's ongoing concerns around odours from the landfill site and we continue with our increased regulatory response.

"This includes daily odour checks and regular site inspections."

The EA had advised Transwaste, to voluntarily stop accepting landfill waste while it carries out further work to control the smell.

He added: "We will take appropriate enforcement action if we do not see improvements."

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