CONCERNED councillors have been invited to visit the composting site at RAF Upwood tomorrow following claims about nasty smells coming from the plant. Despite assurances from the Environment Agency that the owner of the site is doing all he can to cont

CONCERNED councillors have been invited to visit the composting site at RAF Upwood tomorrow following claims about nasty smells coming from the plant.

Despite assurances from the Environment Agency that the owner of the site is doing all he can to contain the odour of waste onions, fed-up Ramsey residents and town councillors are pleading with the local authorities to solve the problem.

Last week a campaign was launched to deal with the problem under the leadership of Ramsey town councillor Mike Cusack, who will visit the site on Thursday.

"This is the first time we have been invited to the site and I imagine the owner is wanting to put across the point that he is doing his bit for the environment," he said. "But that doesn't alter the fact that we do not appreciate the horrid smell that wafts from the site.

"The company is causing a problem to residents living in Upwood, Ramsey, Bury, Ramsey Mereside and Ramsey Heights so hopefully this meeting will signal the start of a resolution to this issue."

Joining Cllr Cusack at the site meeting will be Ramsey and Huntingdonshire district councillor, Ray Powell, site owners AWO Beford & Partners, Huntingdonshire District Council environmental health officers and Environment Agency officers.

A spokesman for the Envirnoment Agency said they were meeting Cllr Cusack to discuss any concerns he might have and to discuss how they could help him.

"We are taking these complaints seriously and now, when we receive a complaint about the site, we are sending an officer out to have a sniff.

"So far we have had two complaints in the past week and when our officers have got to the site they have not been able to smell anything."

The site is currently being used to recycle waste onions and is thought to be at a volume of just under 10,000 tonnes a year. In May of this year the Cambridgeshire County Council gave planning permission to the site for a three-phase composting project - it would mean the site could compost 25,000 tonnes of waste a year.

However, not everyone in Ramsey agrees that the smell is a problem.

Upwood Primary School and Upwood and The Raveleys Parish Council have not had any complaints about bad odours. And case officers from Huntingdonshire District Council have visited the site and were said to have found no odour on each occasion.

Ramsey Town Council clerk Lorraine Russell said she had received a number of complaints regarding the composting facility, primarily from Biggin Lane and the newer housing estate off Biggin Lane in Ramsey.

A Ramsey resident who lives half a mile from the site told The Hunts Post: "The stench of onions is appalling, and usually occurs at weekends and evenings when the Huntingdonshire District Council and Environment Agency offices are closed."

However, Upwood Primary School and Upwood and The Raveleys Parish Council have not had any complaints about bad odours.

And case officers from Huntingdonshire District Council have visited the site and were said to have found no odour on each occasion.

The owners of the site were said to have take measures to minimise smells.

However, AWO Bedford and Partners declined to comment when contacted by The Hunts Post.

INFORMATION: People wishing to make a complaint about the smell are advised to ring the Environment Agency on 0800 807060 immediately.