Residents in the village of Brampton have contacted The Hunts Post to complain about a ‘disgusting smell’ coming from the nearby Buckden Landfill site.

Cambridgeshire County Councillor for Brampton and Buckden, Peter Downes, has written to people living in Brampton which makes it clear that complaints have risen from five in 2020 to 97 in January 2021.

In his letter, he said: “Many of you have recently been in touch with me complaining about the smell coming from the landfill site.

“The performance of the landfill site is monitored by the Environment Agency. They do regular checks but they also respond to complaints from the public.”

Lesley Dixon said: “For months now there has been a most disgusting smell emanating from the Buckden rubbish dump.

“There has been discussions as to what’s causing it.

“And there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why some days it’s worse than others.

“The residents have been urged to report smells to the environment agency.

“But it’s just not getting any better despite promises from the dump.

“It is really disgusting to the point of where it’s seeping in to our house and we live two miles away.

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said: “We are aware of the odour coming from Buckden Landfill site and are working with the operator to resolve the issue.

“We are taking the residents’ concerns seriously and are providing regular updates to the local MP, the Parish Council and its representatives.

“Residents are asked to report nuisance odour via our 24/7 free incident hotline on 0800 807060.”

Cllr Downes told The Hunts Post he has held a meeting with representatives from the parish council and the district council and the the manager of the operating company as well as the Environment Agency.

“We left the manager in no doubt that local residents are very upset by the nasty smell which has got worse recently.

“The manager was apologetic about the recent deterioration and explained that there had been problems in ‘capping’ the site made worse by the very heavy rainfalls over the Christmas period."

In a statement, a spokesman for FCC Environment, which operates the landfill site, said: "We are aware of the concerns raised by local residents.

"The company is working with the Environment Agency to address these concerns swiftly."

Josh Chandler, who lives at Brampton Park, said:"There has recently been a lot of activity between residents and local authorities over the landfill site.

“The odour coming from it is having a significant impact on residents' lives.”

Another resident of Brampton Park, Madara Grantina said: “I have recently bought a property on the Brampton Park development and since having moved in on February 12, I have smelt the most horrendous smell every day.

“Other residents have informed us that this is an ongoing issue caused by the landfill site located next to the golf club. On a number of occasions; the stench has been palpable, causing my throat and eyes to sting when outside.

“Even inside with all the windows and doors shut the smell is bad enough to cause a feeling of nausea, loss of appetite and a headache. I have serious concerns about the long-term effects on my health, from prolonged exposure to high levels of what I suspect is hydrogen sulphide given the distinct smell of rotten eggs.

“Having read many comments on the Brampton Park Residents FB page, I can see that this is an ongoing issue with residents making regular reports.

“Unfortunately, I also see that very little seems to have been done to rectify it other than residents just being told to report it over and over again. Thousands of us are suffering.”

INFO: If you do experience unpleasant smells coming from the landfill site, you can report it to the Environment Agency Incident hotline on freephone: 0800 807060.

Or via their website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environments-agency