THE owner of a composting company has apologised for the smell of rotting onions coming from the site and said he is doing all he can to reduce the odour. Daniel Bedford, of AWO Bedford and Partners, which owns the composting plant at Upwood Airfield, has

THE owner of a composting company has apologised for the smell of rotting onions coming from the site and said he is doing all he can to reduce the odour.

Daniel Bedford, of AWO Bedford and Partners, which owns the composting plant at Upwood Airfield, has been criticised by people in parts of Ramsey and some surrounding villages for allowing bad odours to escape from the plant.

However, on Tuesday he told The Hunts Post that AWO Bedford was taking steps to try to minimise bad odours and was investing in this process.

"We apologise to local residents for the smell," he said. "We are working hard to try to reduce the odour and have already spent £2,500 on an additive that is meant to reduce the smell."

He said the firm also intends to put up windbreaks and plant new trees on the site to create further barriers around the land.

But councillors who recently visited the site claim the company is not doing enough.

Ramsey town councillor and Huntingdon district councillor Ray Powell said: "I was disappointed with the site visit. Nothing was said to give us the impression that anything would be done to address our concerns."

Ramsey town councillor Mike Cusack added: "I told the site owner that I supported the composting initiative with the proviso that it did not become a nuisance to local residents."

Cllr Cusack has now asked the Environment Agency to monitor the site to ensure the smell is kept to a minimal level.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: "We are still actively investigating the site and it would help us if people would ring us when they smell the odour."

It was suggested at the site meeting that the odour could be a combination of smells coming from a local onion storage facility, a packaging plant and a farm.

The issue is to be discussed at the next Ramsey Town Council meeting on Thursday December 14 at 7pm at the Church Green in Ramsey.

Members of the public are invited to attend and may speak for up to three minutes.

INFORMATION: Anyone wanting to report bad onion odours in the Ramsey area is asked to phone the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.