We did 'absolutely everything' to stop the stink

A community locked in a battle for clean air with the operators of a landfill site say they feel optimistic their efforts will now begin to bear fruit.

As they looked back on about five years of near-constant campaigning about smells from the site, members of Stop The Stink from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire told the BBC the campaign had taken a toll on their personal lives.

The Walleys Quarry landfill in Silverdale was served a closure notice on 28 November, but its owners are currently appealing that decision.

Its operator said they "completely reject" accusations of poor management of the landfill site.

They said it believed keeping the site open until its planned closure in 2026 would offer "greatest benefit and sustainability".

Some of those opposed to its operation have shared their reflections on how campaigning to shut the landfill has affected them.

Lee-Bernadette Walford, a former nurse and barrister, used social media videos to keep local residents updated.

She also made use of her professional background to help defend legal cases, in which some of the protestors were faced with an injunction to prevent them from blocking vehicles entering the landfill site.

"I personally felt we were being hit with a huge police presence," she said.

She added a lot of protestors were arrested over the course of the protest, although none were convicted of any offences.

She said they had tried "absolutely everything" to prevent lorries taking waste into the site and at times it had felt like a losing fight.

Ms Walford said she had felt "overwhelmed" and "tired" at various points, adding that keeping the campaign in the public eye had been difficult but necessary to make sure the issue was dealt with.

She felt the closure notice was a "massive step" but that there was still "lots more to do".

Simmo Burgess said he got involved in the campaign after his son asked him if he cared about his family's health and why he was not doing more to protect them.

At one point, Mr Burgess undertook a lengthy protest in which he superglued his hands together whilst threading his arms through the landfill gates.

"I didn't tell anyone what I was going to do, because I didn't want anyone to stop me doing it," he said. "It took them five or six hours to move me."

He estimated the act had cost about £40,000 in disruption to the landfill's operation, and led to him being arrested – but he wasn't charged, he said.

Describing what he did as "stupid and reckless", he added it had led to the campaign remaining prominent in the public eye.

Mr Burgess admitted his protest had caused friction in his personal life, however. Both his partner and his mother were unhappy with what he had done.

But he added a lot of people told him they respected him for taking a stand.

"I'm proud of the community," he said. "The community of Newcastle-under-Lyme has been amazing through it all, but they need to carry on.

"It's not over yet, the closure notice is the beginning, not the end."

Dr Mick Salt described his role in the group as being a scientific interpreter.

With a doctorate in particle physics and a scientific background, he sought to demystify the jargon and data associated with reports from the authorities.

Nevertheless, he conceded his involvement in the Stop The Stink campaign meant he found it sometimes ate into time spent with his family.

"I was sort of neglecting my family to some degree, because it was that intense," he said.

He recalled being on holiday in Wales, staying up late at night to ensure court documents were prepared in support of some of the group's legal cases.

He has appeared twice in court on behalf of the campaign group, both as an expert witness and acting as a legal representative during an injunction hearing.

"It took quite a toll on my mental health as well," he said, adding he had been forced to step back from campaigning at various points to recover.

"I don't think any of us intended to be leading this campaign, it came by accident.

"In fact I describe myself as the accidental environmentalist."

The closure notice said Walleys Quarry Ltd had two months from the issuing date to lodge an appeal.

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.