A probe has been launched into reports of a “foul smell” from a Tyneside waste plant.
The Environment Agency (EA) is investigating the source of a stench around the Wardley Biogas Plant at the Follingsby Park industrial estate. Jarrow MP Kate Osborne aired concerns about the smell on Monday, saying it was forcing nearby residents to stay indoors and could be detected as far away as Leam Lane and Felling.
In letters sent to the EA, Gateshead Council, and plant operators BioConstruct NewEnergy Ltd, the Labour MP warned that locals were “concerned about what they are breathing in”. Earlier this year, the company was fined for failing to control odours coming from the anaerobic digestion plant, which produces energy from food waste.
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An EA spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) on Monday that it would launch a “full compliance inspection” into the plant after the latest complaints.
They confirmed: “Following reports of odours from the BioConstruct plant in Wardley Colliery our officers are conducting monitoring to determine the source of this odour. We will then carry out a full compliance inspection to determine whether there have been any breaches of the company’s permit - which is clear that the operator must take appropriate measures to prevent any odours, as a result of permitted activities, from impacting local residents.
“The site was last inspected in May 2023 where activities were found to be compliant with the company’s permit. Members of the public are urged to report similar incidents to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour hotline on 0800 807060.”
In her letter to the plant operator on Monday, Ms Osborne said residents in surrounding communities had concerns about the impact on their health. She wrote: “Over this weekend, I have received several complaints from residents surrounding the foul smell coming from this plant with some residents saying it is reaching as far as Leam Lane and Felling.
"Residents are reporting that the smell coming from the plant is so bad that they cannot sit in their own gardens and enjoy the lovely weather that we had had. Residents state that the smell is occurring on a daily basis and they are concerned about what they are breathing in.
“I am aware that you were fined earlier this year for releasing unregulated gases into the air that affected local residents, so it is disappointing that the plant continues to be a problem for the local community. As well as impacting on their daily lives, they are concerned about the impact on their health longer term.”
The LDRS has attempted to contact BioConstruct NewEnergy Ltd for a response.
In February this year, the Stockton-based firm was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay costs of almost £10,000 after pleading guilty at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court to a charge of breaching its environmental permit by allowing odour to be released and further charges of failing to comply with two enforcement notices. That came after the EA received more than 25 complaints about smells on June 26, 2020, and found continuing issues at the site the following year.
