Our Work on Site
This page contains information about steps the Environment Agency has arranged to take to remove a risk of serious pollution following disclaimer of the environmental permit.
On 28 February 2025 the Environment Agency was informed that Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL) had entered liquidation. On the same date the liquidators disclaimed the environmental permits held by WQL and the freehold title to the site. This means that the environmental permits, for the landfill and the soil treatment activity no longer exist. Following disclaimer, the property is subject to ‘escheat’, a legal process under which it falls to be dealt with by the Crown Estate.
The Environment Agency is using its limited, discretionary powers under Regulation 57 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations to arrange for steps to be taken to remove a risk of serious pollution. We have engaged contractors for this purpose and you may see activity on the site as a result.
For more information, please see the updates below about the work on site. For any questions about the liquidation of WQL and the consequences for Walleys Quarry, please see our Frequently Asked Questions here.
20 August 2026
Following our update on 27 March 2026, we have capped the stockpile of waste which is out of the containment footprint of the landfill. This will significantly reduce rain getting into the stockpile during the winter, producing run-off. We expect to remove this stockpile in the future, but do not currently have a firm timescale.
The Environment Agency continues to oversee work being undertaken by our Principal Contractor. Ongoing activities are focused on steps relating to control of landfill gas and leachate.
The recent hot weather has caused some additional defects to the temporary cap, and repairs are being assessed.
The Environment Agency has progressed a technical review of the site with support from an external contractor. This review will provide further recommendation on potential civil works.
We continue to work closely with partners and will update the community towards the end of the year.
There is an ongoing likelihood that remedial work may periodically increase background odour. Please continue to report any odours using our online reporting tool - Report a smell from a waste facility, industrial site or farm in England - GOV.UK
17 March 2026
You may have noticed an increase in activity onsite recently. Work on the Leachate Treatment Plant (LTP) has been under way and is almost complete. Small batches of leachate are now being fed into the plant. Over the coming weeks, as the LTP throughput gradually increases, we expect the number of removals by tanker to fall.
Leachate can affect the amount of gas produced from the waste. The gas contractor will continue to monitor the amount of gas produced and the efficiency of the gas collection system.
Our contractors are continuing to assess defects in capping and related infrastructure across the site, and carrying out repairs as appropriate. There may be an increase in odour whilst these repairs are undertaken.
If you need to report an odour, please use the following link - Report a smell from a waste facility, industrial site or farm in England - GOV.UK