Waste site to stop operating over 'putrid smell'

Plans to extend the life of a waste recycling facility have been rejected after more than 400 residents complained about a "putrid stench".

Wakefield Council said an application to keep the site at Hacking Lane, in South Elmsall, operating for another 10 years had been refused.

The Environment Agency (EA) said it was also taking enforcement action against operator Minore after a planning inspector said excessive amounts of hazardous material stored at the land had created multiple health risks.

Councillor George Ayre said the site had "caused misery for the local community and blighted the local environment".

He said the council would work with the EA to "hold Minore accountable for the impact this is having on residents, as well as the local environment".

Resident Mark Benson said the announcement was a "welcome result" but was "not the end".

"There are days when we feel like prisoners in our own homes, unable to enjoy our gardens or open our windows due to the unbearable stench outside," he said.

Minore, also known as Mineral Processing Ltd, has been ordered to remove around 180,000 tonnes of material and cease any more dumping following the outcome of a public inquiry.

Earlier this month, planning inspector John Dowsett dismissed the company's appeal against EA enforcement action, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Dowsett upheld the regulator's claims that public health was at risk due to a foul smell, dust and litter coming from the site at Hacking Lane.

The report said the facility also posed a risk to nearby watercourses, including Frickley Beck.

A revocation notice issued by the EA will come into force on 4 July.

Minore must also cease all activities allowed under its permit and take steps to remove waste from the site.

The company previously said it plans to eventually transform the land into a country park, to include a wildflower meadow, wetland, ponds and public open space.

A spokesperson said: "Currently the site is excavating materials and processing them, which is not in contravention of the notices issued by the EA but in compliance with them."

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