Jameson Road Landfill Site - Fleetwood

The Jameson Road site is an established landfill that has been in operation for many years. Historically, the site was partly owned by SUEZ, who had reduced activity in recent years. In late 2023, the site was taken over by Transwaste Recycling & Aggregates Limited, who hold the environmental permit for non-hazardous waste disposal. When a landfill site is inactive for a long period and then re-opened, the disturbance of older, previously covered waste can lead to the generation and release of landfill gas, which contains odorous compounds like hydrogen sulphide (often described as a "rotten egg" smell). The site also manages leachate (contaminated liquid) and has systems for collecting landfill gas, which in many cases is used to produce electricity.

Significant odour complaints from local residents, including those in Fleetwood and surrounding areas, escalated particularly from early 2024.

In response, the Environment Agency, as the primary regulator, has undertaken extensive actions:

• Increased Regulatory Scrutiny: The EA have conducted frequent site visits and regular, sometimes daily, odour assessments in the community, and deployed drones for monitoring.

• Enforcement Actions:

  • An Enforcement Notice was issued to stop the use of a "tipping bay" that was a source of off-site odour, requiring the operator to tip directly into the landfill cell at a reduced rate.

  • A Suspension Notice was issued on March 27, 2025, which halted Transwaste from accepting new landfill waste until work to control odours was completed.

  • This suspension was lifted on April 9, 2025, after Transwaste completed necessary works, including installing new landfill gas infrastructure to increase gas extraction capacity and reduce emissions.

• Improved Odour Management: Transwaste was required to work with a smaller tipping face and apply more "cover material" to manage odours. They have also been required to submit updated Odour Management and Landfill Gas Management Plans.

• Monitoring and Health Advice: A mobile monitoring facility (MMF) has been deployed in the community to monitor substances like methane, hydrogen sulphide, and particulates. The Environment Agency works closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) which provides health advice based on monitoring data, indicating that air quality results for key pollutants do not generally exceed health-based limits, though strong odours can still cause discomfort.

• Partnership Working: The Environment Agency collaborates with Wyre Borough Council (who have statutory nuisance powers and collect odour diary sheets) and Lancashire County Council (planning and public health).

Please find a copy of the latest permit here

Jameson Road has two separate landfill areas, each covered by its own environmental permit:

• Permit AP3095LF – This applies to Phase 1, the older part of the site. Phase 1 is in Closure & Aftercare and is no longer an active landfill.
• Permit BL9518IE – This applies to Phase 2, the active operational area where landfilling, gas management and leachate management continue.

Have both permits been transferred to Transwaste?

Yes.
Both permits were formally transferred to Transwaste Recycling & Aggregates Ltd on 30 August 2023, as confirmed on the Defra public register.

Does the closed Phase 1 permit mean the site can only accept soils and stones now?

No.
The “soils and stones only” restriction applies only to Permit AP3095LF, because Phase 1 is closed and in aftercare.

Permit BL9518IE is separate and is the active permit.
This is the permit that authorises Transwaste to accept non‑hazardous waste in Phase 2, where operational landfill activities take place. 

The Environment Agency strictly regulates Jameson Road Landfill (Transwaste Recycling & Aggregates Limited) via its Environmental Permit (EPR/BL9518IE). This permit outlines mandatory conditions for all operations, including waste acceptance, landfill gas management, leachate treatment, and pollution control (especially odour, dust, and litter), alongside requirements for infrastructure and regular environmental monitoring.

Specifically, the permit allows and regulates activities such as:

• Acceptance and Disposal of Non-Hazardous Waste: This is the primary activity, covering the process of receiving, tipping, and managing specified types and quantities of non-hazardous waste.

• Landfill Gas Management: The permit includes conditions for the collection, control, and management of landfill gas generated by the decomposing waste. This is crucial for preventing odours and, in many cases, for generating energy.

• Leachate Management: The permit covers the collection, treatment, and management of leachate (the liquid that drains through the waste) to prevent groundwater and surface water pollution.

• Pollution Control Measures: It mandates the implementation of measures to minimise and control potential pollution, including odours, dust, and litter. This often involves requirements for daily cover of waste and specific operational techniques.

• Site Infrastructure Management: Conditions relate to the construction and maintenance of site infrastructure, such as liners, capping, and gas collection systems, to ensure environmental protection.

• Monitoring and Reporting: The operator is required to conduct regular monitoring of environmental parameters (e.g., air quality, gas levels, leachate levels) and submit reports to the Environment Agency to demonstrate compliance.

The permit dictates how the landfill must be operated to ensure environmental protection, covering everything from the incoming waste to the management of gases, liquids, and overall site integrity, all with the aim of minimising impact on the surrounding community.

To access compliance assessment reports for Jameson Road from 18th of August 2025 please click here

For any reports prior to this date please contact the Cumbria & Lancashire information requests mailbox at Inforequests.cmblnc@environment-agency.gov.uk 

Please note when the Environment Agency issues a Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) form, there is a 42-day holding period before the form is published online. This holding period allows operators time to challenge the contents of the CAR form through the EA’s regulatory appeals process. Further information can be found here.

Update 19 March 2026

Update 27 February 2026

We continue to receive a large number of odour reports from people living in the community, and we understand how distressing and unacceptable the odours from the Jameson Road landfill site have been for local residents. We are maintaining our increased regulatory response and require Transwaste to take all necessary steps to comply fully with its environmental permit.

 The impact on the community is not something we are prepared to allow to continue. We want to be clear with residents: this does not automatically mean the site will close, but that option remains available to us if compliance does not improve. We are actively exploring whether reducing the types of waste accepted at the site could help the operator reduce odourous inputs. We are also assessing whether improved operational management by the operator can achieve the necessary reduction in odours and prevent further impact on the community.

 Numbers of reports Jan/Feb

Total Number of reports in January 2026          -         663

Total Number of reports so far in February 2026          757

 Weekly Totals in February:

Update on recent Enforcement Notice 

Given a lack of sufficient cover on the landfill observed by Environment Agency officers through site visits including a drone flight in late January, action was taken to start the improvements  as quickly as possible. Transwaste have made positive progress on the covering of cells 5 & 6 (the most recently filled landfill areas).  The operator has made clear to us their aim to get cells 5 & 6 permanently capped.  We will consider any regulatory action that would support that process of permanent capping. 

Landfill gas odour

There has been an increase in odour related to landfill gas more recently. Whilst new infrastructure has been introduced related to landfill gas, we want to make sure that it is effective in preventing emission and capturing gas.  We will follow up with a Landfill gas assessment on site next week with some further audit of gas management to follow.

Waste Odour

While there has been a reduction in ‘waste type’ odour and intensity observed by officers in the community, it was noticed on Wednesday 24 February.  Transwaste have stopped accepting mixed type waste for landfill and have been importing cover materials like soils and clays more recently.  The reduction in waste type odour can be attributed to both the stopping of mixed type waste and the improved covering of the landfill.

Compliance Performance

Over recent weeks we have released information on permit breaches at Jameson Road Landfill through Freedom of Information requests. We want to provide further clarity on what this information means.  We assess operator performance using the Environment Agency’s Compliance Classification Scheme (CCS), which assigns scores from 1–4 to each permit breach:

• Category 1: Most serious
• Category 2: Significant breach
• Category 3: Moderate breach
• Category 4: Minor or technical breach

Compliance scores contribute to an overall annual performance band (A–F), where Band A indicates a high level of compliance and Bands D–F represent poor performers. Jameson Road Landfill was rated as a band ‘F’ poor performer in 2024.

Since January 2024, we have undertaken 42 compliance assessment dates and identified 74 breaches. Some category scores were suspended during the period of a suspension notice to allow the operator time to address the issues identified.  The process of suspending scores is a standard method once an enforcement notice is in place.

Table summarising compliance scores against permit condition grouping Feb 2024 to Jan 2026

Update 12 February 2026

We are reviewing Transwaste’s compliance with the Regulatory Enforcement Notice issued on 30 January 2026. The notice required specific actions to be completed by 4pm on 9 February 2026. Once this review is complete, we will determine the next steps towards a permanent cap of the most recently filled cells. We will update this page as soon as we have more information.

Update 2 February 2026

On Friday 30 January, we served a regulatory enforcement notice on Transwaste. This notice requires the operator to ensure that areas of the landfill (Cell 5 and Cell 6) are adequately covered to reduce the risk of odour. The deadline for completing this work is 9 February, and we expect the operator to comply in full.

Our officers were present in the local area over the weekend and detected strong odour coming from the landfill. Some odour was also identified from other potential sources closer to Thornton, which we will follow up.

We will be carrying out further checks this week and will keep the community informed of progress. If the required improvements are not delivered by the deadline, we will consider taking further regulatory action. We recognise the impact odour can have on local residents, and the community should not have to experience prolonged odour issues.

Link to the enforcement notice here

Update 30 January 2026

January has seen sustained period of odour reports received through our incident hotline. The last 10 days of reporting numbers are below.

In previous weeks we have received the following weekly totals (Monday to Sunday);  Week ending Jan 4 – 223 Reports; 11 Jan - 138 Reports; 18 Jan – 189 Reports, 25 Jan – 166 Reports.

We are receiving an increased number of letters from members of the community who explain how the issue is impacting them. The nature of the operation is potentially odourous, but it should not be a constant impact on lives of residents. We do not manage the landfill, we expect Transwaste to do that in a way that does not or absolutely minimises impact on the community. We will take action to do this, if the operator does not act swiftly we will escalate our response.

Our officers continue to carry out targeted odour monitoring within the community alongside regular on‑site compliance inspections. We are maintaining an enhanced regulatory presence at the site, including frequent visits and assessments by a landfill gas technical specialist.

This week we have carried out a drone flight on the 28 January followed by a site inspection on the 29 January. Issues were found and we will make sure they are addressed. The focus is on the controls needed to prevent odour. 

We have provided immediate feedback to Transwaste and are considering our response and will hold them to account.

Please find previous updates from 2025 here

Jameson Road has two separate landfill areas, each covered by its own environmental permit:

• Permit AP3095LF – This applies to Phase 1, the older part of the site. Phase 1 is in Closure & Aftercare and is no longer an active landfill.
• Permit BL9518IE – This applies to Phase 2, the active operational area where landfilling, gas management and leachate management continue.

Have both permits been transferred to Transwaste?

Yes.
Both permits were formally transferred to Transwaste Recycling & Aggregates Ltd on 30 August 2023, as confirmed on the Defra public register.

Does the closed Phase 1 permit mean the site can only accept soils and stones now?

No.
The “soils and stones only” restriction applies only to Permit AP3095LF, because Phase 1 is closed and in aftercare.

Permit BL9518IE is separate and is the active permit.
This is the permit that authorises Transwaste to accept non‑hazardous waste in Phase 2, where operational landfill activities take place. 

Landfill odours can sometimes be more apparent overnight due to changing atmospheric conditions, often linked to temperature inversions. During an inversion, a layer of cooler air near the ground can trap odorous gases, preventing them from dispersing as effectively as they might during the day. Our officers conduct odour checks around the clock in order to ensure a true picture of the situation is being captured.

The increase in odours was linked to issues with landfill gas emissions. The improvements made by Transwaste, as required by the suspension notice, included installing new gas wells and enhancing the covering of waste with clays and inert materials. This provided a more effective seal to facilitate increased gas capture and reduce fugitive gas emissions (uncontrolled leaks).

In response to the odour complaints and incidents at Jameson Road Landfill, the Environment Agency (EA) has taken a range of significant actions:

• Increased Regulatory Scrutiny: The EA has intensified its oversight, conducting frequent site visits (ranging from daily to weekly), performing daily odour assessments in the surrounding community, and utilising drones for site monitoring.

• Enforcement Actions:

  • An Enforcement Notice was issued to stop the use of a "tipping bay" that was identified as a source of off-site odour, requiring the operator to tip directly into the landfill cell at a reduced rate.

  • A Suspension Notice was issued on March 27, 2025, which legally halted Transwaste from accepting new landfill waste until specific works to control odours were completed.

  • This suspension was subsequently lifted on April 9, 2025, after Transwaste completed the required works, including the installation of new landfill gas infrastructure aimed at increasing gas extraction and reducing emissions.

• Improved Odour Management: Transwaste was mandated to work with a smaller tipping face and apply more "cover material" to better manage odours. They have also been required to submit updated Odour Management and Landfill Gas Management Plans.

• Environmental Monitoring and Health Advice: A mobile monitoring facility (MMF) has been deployed in the community for continuous air quality monitoring (e.g., methane, hydrogen sulphide, particulates). The EA collaborates with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) which provides health advice based on this monitoring data.

• Partnership Working: The EA works closely with other local authorities, including Wyre Council (for statutory nuisance investigations and odour diary collection) and Lancashire County Council (for planning control and public health guidance)

In the case of individual sites, the Environment Agency carefully monitors the performance of a landfill site using a wide range of parameters including groundwater, surface water and air monitoring, pollution reports, the operator’s own monitoring and aerial photography. We use all these parameters to determine the compliance of the site and if we have concerns, we require the operator of the site to take steps to resolve them. If the operator of the permitted site does not respond to our concerns, we can carry out our own check monitoring and use a range of enforcement notices to force the operator of the site to take action.

Yes. Although improvements have been made, our officers still detect some odours during waste tipping activities and occasional low-level gas odours. Consequently, we have required Transwaste to submit updated Odour Management and Landfill Gas Management Plans detailing how they will address these ongoing issues. We have also met with Transwaste to discuss the site's future operation, focusing on controlling landfill gas emissions, necessary upgrades to gas infrastructure, and improved control over waste types accepted.

On 27 March 2025, the Environment Agency issued a suspension notice to Transwaste, requiring them to stop accepting landfill waste until they completed work to control the cause of odours. The suspension was lifted on 9 April after Transwaste notified us that they had completed the necessary works to install new landfill gas infrastructure. Our assessment confirmed an increase in gas extraction capacity and a reduction in emissions due to new gas wells and enhanced waste covering.

Due to the significant increase in complaints previously and our focus on dealing with the issue the community is facing, there might be a delay in us providing you with a personal response. Please bear with us as our resources are concentrated on direct regulatory action and monitoring. We are committed to being transparent with our communications and all current and up to date information is available on these pages.

We value respectful communication. While we are here to listen and work towards resolutions, we have a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of verbal abuse, harassment, or disrespectful behaviour directed towards our staff. We kindly ask that all interactions are conducted with courtesy and consideration.

Yes, the Environment Agency is reviewing waste inputs as part of wider discussions nationally on whether changes to national landfill practices are needed to help prevent similar situations from occurring.

The UK HSA has reviewed the Air Quality Report and produced a Public Health Risk Assessment document which can be found here 

There is a link to the latest air quality monitoring here: Study of Ambient Air Quality at Fleetwood. 

The odour pollution from landfill sites falls into two broad categories:

1. The first is the waste odour. This is caused by fresh waste rapidly decomposing and tends to come from vehicles travelling to and from the site and whilst it is tipped. This is similar to the odours that are contained within a domestic bin. It poses little risk to human health and can be tackled by depositing the waste quickly and covering it with soils called “daily cover”.
2. The second type of odour is landfill gas. This is gas generated by the breakdown of the waste inside the body of the landfill site. Landfill gas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide, which are odourless and colourless. However, landfill gas also contains trace components such as hydrogen sulphide that, even in very small quantities, has a strong smell of rotten eggs, which the human body is very sensitive to. Although the smell caused by the trace levels of hydrogen sulphide gas can be strong and unpleasant, it does not automatically mean that it is harmful. Our sense of smell is very sensitive and we can smell hydrogen sulphide at very low levels.

We are aware of symptoms reported within the community. These include reports of strong odours and transient health effects, such as eye and respiratory irritation. The human nose is very sensitive. Strong odours are unpleasant and can impact on wellbeing, leading to stress and anxiety. Some people may experience physical symptoms, such as nausea, headaches or dizziness, as a reaction to strong odours, even when the substances that cause those odours are not at concentrations that are directly harmful to health.

Individuals can close doors and windows whilst the smell is present and then open them to vent the smell from the premises when the smell has cleared.

The human nose is very sensitive. Many things have a strong smell at levels at which there are no direct harmful effects to health. However, strong smells are unpleasant and can impact on wellbeing leading to stress and anxiety. Some people may also experience symptoms, such as nausea, headaches or dizziness, as a reaction to strong smells, even when the substances that cause those smells are themselves not harmful to health. Following exposure to any substance, the adverse health effects depend on several factors, including the amount to which you are exposed (dose), the way in which you are exposed, the duration of exposure, the form of the chemical and if you were exposed to any other chemicals. The first noticeable effect of hydrogen sulphide at very low concentrations is its unpleasant odour, which may cause discomfort and some short-term health effects (as described in the paragraph above). At higher concentrations, it may cause eye, nose and throat irritation. It may also disturb sleep if experienced at night at low levels.

Short-term transient health effects may be experienced such as irritation to the eyes, nose and throat. People who have health conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma, may experience increased frequency and/or severity of symptoms. With continuing exposure, these effects may be prolonged but are not anticipated to continue long-term once exposure is reduced.

To limit the effects of the odour as much as possible, we would advise:

• Close windows if there is an outdoor odour and open them once any outdoor odour has reduced.You could consider closing windows at night and opening them in the morning in the absence of odour.
• Ventilate your property when there is no odour outdoors.

Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you have concerns about your individual circumstances and require health advice.