Latest news with #LorraineBeavers
BBC News
23-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Fleetwood businesses losing money from 'toxic stench', MP says
Businesses have begun losing money because of the "toxic stench" from a nearby landfill site, an MP has said. Lorraine Beavers said the Jameson Road site in Fleetwood was affecting people's "whole lives" and "the future of our town". In a letter to the Environment Agency's (EA) regional director Carol Holt, the MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood said local firms had been reporting cancelled bookings and low attendances after the 40th anniversary of the Fleetwood Festival of Transport at the weekend because of the pungent smell. The EA said it was demanding improvements and "maintaining our increased regulatory response", including regular "odour checks" and site inspections. Apart from the smell of "rotten eggs", there have also been health concerns about emissions from the site, with people complaining of nosebleeds, headaches, sore throats and breathing Council, which owns the land, has said the lease would not be renewed after 31 December 2027. An EA representative said: "We completely understand the impact this landfill has had on the community "We have made it clear that we expect significant improvements to gas infrastructure and close control over the types of waste accepted for operations at the site to continue."In her letter, Beavers said the recent festival, traditionally known as Tram Sunday, was an event that "brings our community together and drives visitors to our town". But she said the community was "fatigued, unwell and frustrated by the continued smell". 'Deserve better' Operators Transwaste said it had recently invested over £40,000 on 11 new deep wells to extract gas and address odour also pointed to an EA report in May which found that that air quality was well within WHO safety told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she wanted to meet EA staff this week to "discuss what happens next". "Enough is enough. We cannot accept this any more. The people who live here deserve better," Beavers said. "If Transwaste can't run this site properly, it should be closed down." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Fleetwood campaign welcomes decision to 'mothball' landfill
Campaigners have welcomed a decision not to renew the lease on a controversial landfill site in tip on Jameson Road in Fleetwood has faced complaints from neighbouring residents about the stench of "rotten eggs", and some have also said they believed their health had suffered as a result of living close to the a recent Environment Agency (EA) monitoring report found the site to meet safety standards for levels of hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide and Dr Barbara Kneale said the lease not being renewed was "good news", but added that "the fight goes on". The site's operator Transwaste, had its licence suspended in March after the EA said it had failed to take "appropriate measures to collect and manage landfill gas".That ban was lifted in April after it took the required Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent has now said the lease will not be extended beyond December 2027 and that the site would be "mothballed". 'Good news' Dr Kneale, of the Close Jameson Road Landfill campaign, said people remained concerned about the ongoing impact of the site as there was still two-and-a-half years on the lease. Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers, who has campaigned alongside residents to close the site said: "Obviously it's really good news, the community has been amazing on this."I can't tell you how proud I am of how hard they've worked and how much work they've done to bring us to this day."She and some of her Labour colleagues have now formed a committee to try and change legislation around landfill sites like said: "We're working to see how we can change legislation, so we can empower the Environment Agency to be more forceful and shut these places down immediately when we see there is a problem."Transwaste said it intended to honour its lease until 2027. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer's comic turn will end in tears of a clown
Representatives of the British Overseas Territories were in Parliament for Questions to the Prime Minister on Wednesday. Once this would have been a statement of great imperial pride, the colonies come to see the mother parliament in action; now it's probably the case that they've been summoned to learn which of them is next to be raffled off to a nearby banana republic. First we came to the MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, Lorraine Beavers, who appears to go to the same barber as Jedward. She opened proceedings with a meandering question about landfill sites. So it began; the same tedious, buck-passing, bottom-crawling, read-out-from-an-iPad questions from the Labour back benches that we get every week. Our very own coiffured Stig of the Dump, the Bin King himself, Sir Oinky stood up to answer. For some unfathomable reason, the Prime Minister seemed to be in a jokey mood. For those of us forced to watch, this was not a good thing. 'I love the fact that whenever anyone says '14 years of Conservative government' they all go, 'Oh no.' That's how the country feels', he smarmed. Nearby, Lucy Powell howled with laughter as if she were in the presence of a latter-day Ustinov. She looked like a painting from Goya's black period as she did so. The Leader of the Opposition bore some of the brunt of Oinky's comedic turn. 'She must be the only trade minister who doesn't like trade deals,' he said, to a great whoop of laughter from the goons assembled behind him. The joke, sadly, is on the country as once again Kemi Badenoch failed to skewer the Prime Minister. Oinky's acolytes prepared for further self-abasement. Rachel Taylor asked a humiliating non-question about how wonderful the PM was at trade deals. This was somehow turned into an attack on Reform, by a link so tenuous that Nigel Farage threw up his hands and laughed. There was even some dark humour in the form of a 'more comment than question' from the appalling Jake Richards, who is Pinky to Kim Leadbeater's Brain on the Assisted Suicide Bill. Richards, a man so dripping with arrogance that he makes Oinky look like Francis of Assisi, wanged on about all the marvellous work he did in – get this – suicide prevention. Not everyone was in on Oinky's bumper fun day. Liz Savile Roberts of Plaid Cymru asked the PM, in light of his volte-face on immigration, whether 'any of his beliefs survived a week in Downing Street'. The implication was that it wasn't just his sense of humour which Oinky had had surgically removed but his spine as well. 'Yes, the belief that she talks rubbish,' spat Oinky. Cue howls from the Labour benches as if this was an aphorism worthy of Noel Coward rather than a cack-handed reworking of a 'your mum'-style response from the playground. Rachel Reeves – who again, presumably has the sense of humour of a paving slab – was literally convulsing with laughter at this. Both hands slapping her knees, head lurching forward, it was like something from a ghost train. One person, however, wasn't laughing at all. On Oinky's other side sat Big Ange, her face like the grave. She allowed her eyes to look over to him very briefly, and they dripped contempt. I suspect there will be tears of the clown before long.
BBC News
28-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Fleetwood stink' leads to suspension of landfill site licence
The operator of a landfill site which attracted thousands of complaints about the smell of "rotten eggs" has had its licence suspended. The Environment Agency (EA) told Transwaste Ltd it had failed to take "appropriate measures to collect and manage landfill gas" at its Jameson Road site in Fleetwood, Lancashire. The suspension notice means the company must stop accepting new waste until works to fix the problems causing the stench have been completed. A Facebook post from local school Flakefleet Primary celebrated the move, stating: "Enough was enough and, together, we made a stand." Some residents told the BBC that gas emanating from the site was causing breathing difficulties, while the foul odour was making their lives a misery. Last week Christine Butterworth, 83, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said there were days when she "just can't breathe". Flakefleet Primary Shool said: "So proud of each and every person who raised their voice, filed a complaint, showed up and spoke out. This happened because of you."There are things we wish we had more of in Fleetwood but heart, fight, and community aren't on that list."The EA said it had received 1,125 complaints in February, compared to 270 and 21 in January and December blamed very high winds during Storm Eowyn in January for tearing off caps that had been sealing in the gas at the said in February that the foul smell should dissipate once repairs were carried out. But on Thursday the EA issued a formal suspension notice. It read: "You are not taking all appropriate measures to collect and manage landfill gas from Cell 6."The EA said the company had contravened environmental legislation and the contravention had "caused offence to human senses" and impacted residents and businesses. It added: "We are carrying out daily odour checks and regular site inspections and will monitor the progress of work outlined in the conditions of the notice. "While serving the notice will not stop the odour immediately, we expect it will start to reduce as work progresses."If the situation does not improve we will consider further enforcement action."Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers raised the issue in the House of Commons in said residents had been complaining of nose bleeds, breathing problems and has been contacted for comment. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
The Independent
08-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
Locals suffer nose bleeds and vomiting from ‘toxic' stench
A 'toxic stench' from a landfill that left locals with nose bleeds is being blamed on Storm Eowyn. The storm ripped off some capping at the Jameson Road, Fleetwood site, unleashing the odour, Transwaste said. The company said the smell should disappear once repairs were complete. However, an MP said locals had been putting up with the awful stench for a year now, with some experiencing vomiting, nose bleeds and breathing problems due to the foul smell. Labour MP Lorraine Beavers told the Commons on Thursday that the landfill had been emitting the stench — described by residents as a 'rotten egg smell' — since February 2024. Transwaste said the original odour problem was caused by installing new equipment when it took over the site in 2023. That released a 'temporary odour' as old waste was disturbed after six years, but the gas capture infrastructure and new capping solved the odour problem, the firm said. 'Unfortunately, during the record-breaking winds of Storm Eowyn, the capping was ripped off, allowing odour to escape. 'We have been working to repair and restore the capping and we expect this to be completed within the next few days when we anticipate things will return to pre-Christmas conditions with no odours.' The Environment Agency expects the odour issues to reduce within the next seven days, environment minister Mary Creagh had told the Commons. At environment, food and rural affairs questions, Ms Beavers said: 'The people of Fleetwood and Thornton and beyond have suffered from toxic stenches for the last 12 months. 'Last night was extremely unpleasant, with residents reporting nose bleeds, breathing problems, headaches and vomiting this morning. 'The stench is because of the mismanagement of the local Jameson Road landfill site. Despite multiple interventions by the Environment Agency, including the six-week closure, the smell is now as bad as ever, if not worse. 'What can the government do to ensure the Environment Agency have much stronger powers to deal with landfill sites that bring daily misery to residents, like those living in my constituency of Blackpool North and Fleetwood?' Ms Creagh replied: 'My heart goes out to her constituents who are clearly suffering terrible public health consequences from the stink at the site. 'There is an ongoing investigation into the cause of odour issues that have impacted the community in Fleetwood, and it escalated in January '24. 'The Environment Agency have told me they expect odour issues to reduce within the next seven days. Should this not occur they will consider any and all appropriate regulatory intervention to reduce the impact on the community.' The Environment Agency said Transwaste Recycling and Aggregates took over the landfill site at Jameson Road in late 2023. Transwaste said the Environment Agency regulates it with unannounced visits, drone flyovers and odour monitoring. The firm said a UK Health Security Agency representative deemed the levels of landfill gas at the site 'very low' and 'well below the level to cause any health effects' in September.
