Environment Agency ‘not fit for purpose’ due to lack of action over Hills’ smell says council

WESTBURY Town Coun cil has expressed its “disappointment and incredulity” over the Environment Agency’s (EA) decision not to prosecute Hills Waste Solutions for the odorous smells emitting from their Westbury plant in 2021.

Despite the EA receiving 500 complaints over a seven-month period in 2021 of a “rancid” smell originating from the Northacre Resource Recovery Centre in Westbury, the EA decided not to prosecute the company for breaching their odour conditions as they said it was “not in the public interest”.

Responding to this decision in a letter to the EA, Westbury Town Council says, “At the public hearing into whether the plant should be given planning permission, the EA stated that they had no powers to refuse but were mindful of the local opposition and would ensure that the plant was effectively monitored, and any breaches robustly addressed.

“This site has a history of poor compliance with existing legislation, resulting in many incidents over several years causing much inconvenience and distress to the local population, and subsequent failure by the EA to take any enforcement action.

“The lack of action effectively gives the green light to Hills to carry on as normal, free from any sanction, and one wonders if the EA is fit for purpose and able to do anything to protect the public. The perception amongst many people locally is that the EA is more intent on looking after the interests of the business rather than the welfare of the public.

“This failure to act, combined with national issues such as river pollution and sewage discharges, makes one question what the point of the EA is and if it continues to have a role in protecting people.”

‘Totally unacceptable’

Local councillor Matthew Dean has written to the EA separately to demand they take further action. He said, “The odours coming from the Hills plant are totally unacceptable, and the EA should take legal action. It is just not on that the residents I represent should have to periodically put up with the stink originating from a private commercial business.”