Walleys Quarry issued with a suspension notice by the Environment Agency

Today (1st March 2024), the Environment Agency has issued a Regulation 37 Suspension Notice to Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL), which requires the company to take immediate action to remove the risk of serious pollution from fugitive emissions of landfill gas to the air causing significant and widespread offence to human senses due to odour.

The Suspension Notice requires WQL to immediately stop the acceptance and disposal of waste, except for inert wastes which do not contribute to the odour. The Suspension Notice also requires WQL to install additional gas extraction infrastructure in a key part of the operational area of the site by 17 March 2024; to connect it so that it extracts gas by 24 March 2024; and to install additional temporary capping (using either compacted clay or geomembrane) in two other operational areas, by 24 March 2024.

The statement issued today went on to say that they acknowledge the calls for the Environment Agency to close the site. However, as they have previously explained, they will only issue a Closure Notice as a last resort, having exhausted all other enforcement and regulatory options. The purpose of this work is to reduce as quickly as possible fugitive emissions of landfill gas from these areas of the site and the impact experienced by the community. This is their priority and is best achieved in the short-term by using a Suspension Notice.

They will continue to require WQL to comply with its environmental permit and implement all the measures necessary to manage emissions of landfill gas from the site.

The Environment Agency continues to robustly regulate WQL, informed by their Contain, Capture and Destroy strategy. Areas where action is required by the Suspension Notice do not currently have the infrastructure in place to contain (capping) and capture (gas infrastructure) so that landfill gas can be sent to be destroyed.

Further information can be found at https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/hub-page/walleys-quarry-landfill