Report a smell at Withyhedge Landfill, Pembrokeshire

To make reporting odour isues from Withyhedge Landfill as easy as possible, we have set up this dedicated reporting form. All reports will be dealt with in the normal manner by our Incident Communication Centre. If you have provided contact details you will be given a unique reference number and you can opt to receive email updates on the investigation.

Odour issues only

This form is for the reporting of odour issues in relation to Withyhedge Landfill should be reported to NRW the usual way (call 0300 065 3000 or report online).

Personal data

Any personal data submitted via this form will be held securely. You have the option to remain anonymous, however to recevied regular updates regarding Withyhedge Landfill, we recommend you provide an email address.

The Incident Management Team (IMT) has released its March 2025 update on Withyhedge Landfill.

For full details visit the Withyhedge Landfill update newsletter.

The multi-agency team formed in response to odour complaints from communities surrounding Withyhedge Landfill has released a new update.

Content includes:

• Site inspections
• Air quality monitoring
• Council's legal proceedings decision
• Public Health Wales' latest health risk assessment

For full details visit the Withyhedge Landfill update newsletter.

RML, the operator of Withyhedge Landfill, has resumed waste acceptance and disposal at the site. This follows investment in site infrastructure made by the site operator, particularly in respect of the gas management system.

Incident Management Team (IMT) members - Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC), Public Health Wales (PHW) and Hywel Dda University Health Board – recognise the concerns of residents who have previously been affected by odours from the landfill may have.

They met on Tuesday 7 January to discuss these concerns and the action planned to closely monitor the site over the coming weeks.

NRW officers will have an active presence at the landfill, conducting regular compliance checks against conditions of the Environmental Permit. They will be carrying out a series of visits checking waste brought to site and odour monitoring in nearby communities. These will be carried out jointly with Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) where appropriate.

NRW and PCC officers will be responding to any odour complaints and urge those affected in their homes to report it as soon as possible to allow officers to visit and assess the level of impact as close to the time of each incident as possible.

The continuous Hydrogen Sulphide air quality monitoring at Spittal School has been extended until March 2025 to ensure data collection continues beyond the change in activity at the landfill. This data will be used to carry out further public health risk assessments.

The IMT held a public drop-in session on 5 December 2024, to address these concerns and this was attended by over 50 people and included discussions on landfill regulation, air quality monitoring, and public health risk assessments.

The team remains committed to ensuring environmental compliance and protecting public health as the site resumes full operations.

Residents who notice odours they believe originate from the landfill are encouraged to report them to NRW through the dedicated reporting form or by calling 0300 056 3000. Please note that some odours in the area may originate from other sources.

They can also contact the council’s Pollution Control Team via the contact centre on 01437 764551 or via their dedicated email for landfill complaints on complaints.withyhedgelandfill@pembrokeshire.gov.uk.

Read this information ahead of attending the drop-in session the IMG is holding at Spittal Church Hall between 3 and 7pm on Thursday 5 December 2024.

Representatives from all IMG partners will be present to answer any questions or provide clarity.

The focus of this document and the drop-in session is on future operations at the landfill and IMG members. 

Withyhedge Landfill drop-in session

We’re holding a drop-in centre for people to find out more about the future operation of Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire.

🗓️ Thursday, 5 December

⏰ 3-7pm

📍 Spittal Church Hall

Members of the Integrated Management Group (IMG) - from @natreswales, @pembrokeshirecountycouncil, @publichealthwales @HywelDdaHealthBoard – will be there to provide information and answer queries about the landfill.

All IMG partners understand what an unsettling time this is for residents who have previously been affected by odour from Withyhedge Landfill.

We are keen to meet residents face-to-face to provide as much information and reassurance as we can.

🔗 https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/community-invited-to-withyhedge-landfill-drop-in-session/?lang=en

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) remains committed to ensuring that site operator RML takes all necessary steps to minimise the risk of future emissions from the site that could result in offsite odour from Withyhedge Landfill.

Efforts are supported by all partners from the Incident Management Team (IMT) - Public Health Wales, Pembrokeshire County Council and Hywel Dda University Health Board - with air quality monitoring and public health risk assessments.

More information: Withyhedge Landfill | Update from the Incident Management Team (govdelivery.com)

The Incident Management Team committed to addressing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire has released a multi-agency update.

Click here for the latest information from all three partners.

Here’s the next edition of our Withyhedge weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKNRW/bulletins/3a6d3ed

Here’s the next edition of our Withyhedge weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKNRW/bulletins/3a58414

If you’re experiencing bad odours from the landfill, remember to report via https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge or call 0300 065 3000.

Here’s our next edition of our  Withyhedge Landfill weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire. 

Here’s our next edition of our  Withyhedge Landfill weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire. 

Here’s our next edition of our Withyhedge weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire. 

If you’re experiencing bad odours from the landfill remember to report via this form or call 0300 065 3000.

Here’s our next edition of our Withyhedge weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire. 

If you’re experiencing bad odours from the landfill remember to report via this form or call 0300 065 3000.

Here’s our next edition of our Withyhedge weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire.  https://bit.ly/Withyhedge240524

If you’re experiencing bad odours from the landfill remember to report via this form or call 0300 065 3000.

Here’s our next edition of our Withyhedge weekly update giving the latest on the odour issue at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire.

Officers from our Industry Regulations team have visited Withyhedge Landfill this week, carrying out a series of assessments to determine if site operator RML Ltd has complied with our most recent Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice.

These assessments are complex and will take some time to complete.

Read our newsletter for more details. https://bit.ly/Withyhedge170524

Here’s our next weekly update on actions being taken to solve the odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire. 

We’ve been notified that the landfill operator intends to stop accepting waste temporarily after the 14 May Enforcement Notice deadline.

This in no way impacts the deadline set within our Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice.

Read our newsletter for more details: https://bit.ly/Withyhedge100524 

If you’re experiencing bad odours from the landfill remember to report via our dedicated 'report a smell' form (https://orlo.uk/6eSvG) or call 0300 065 3000.

We've introduced this weekly newsletter to deliver updates on actions being taken to address odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire. 

Officers from our Industry Regulations Team carried out another site inspection at Withyhedge Landfill on Tuesday 30 April to assess progress being made.

👀 Read our newsletter for more details and provide your email address where requested if you’d like to subscribe to the next update..

🔗 https://bit.ly/Withyhedge030524

Work to manage landfill gas emissions which have impacted communities surrounding Withyhedge Landfill must continue with pace, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said today (19 July) as it confirmed that the requirements set out in recent Enforcement Notices served on the site have been met.

NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with two separate Regulation 36 Enforcement Notices on 13 February 2024 and 18 April 2024, setting out  urgent steps to be taken by the operator to address the odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.

The Notices included a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines. These included the capping of areas of the site, and the installation of infrastructure designed to collect and contain landfill gas at two separate areas of the site.

NRW has now received and reviewed reports relating to the engineering works carried out by the operator to ensure they have been completed to the required standard.

More information here: https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/withyhedge-landfill-update-enforcement-notice-compliance/?lang=en

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) officers will conduct a series of assessments this week to determine if specified actions have been completed by the operator of Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire to address the ongoing odour issues.

NRW issued the landfill operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on 18 April. Each of the steps outlined in the Notice must be completed by the end of 14 May.

RML’s announcement on Friday 10 May that they intend to voluntarily cease waste acceptance temporarily at the landfill from 14 May in no way impacts the deadlines set in the notice.

Industry regulation team officers will be present on site and in local communities over the coming days, carrying out various assessments both on and off site to determine if all the steps specified within the Notice have been completed satisfactorily, and if there are reduced odour emissions from the site.

Officers will also be conducting a full-site inspection to assess compliance with their permit. Once those assessments have been completed, NRW will then be in a position to establish whether the operator has complied with all elements of the Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice. If the Notice has not been fully complied with, or if further issues are identified, NRW will consider its enforcement response.

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations for NRW, said:

“The 14 May deadline is the final date for RML Ltd to have completed all the actions they have identified to get the odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill under control.

“Determining if the operator has addressed all the steps set out in our notice and, crucially, if they have had the effect of reducing odour and landfill gas emissions from the site, will take some time.

“We fully understand the strength of feeling and growing impatience amongst people living and working in the surrounding communities. We want to reassure them that our officers will be focussing their efforts on inspecting the work carried out by RML, and undertaking assessments on and off site over the days following the deadline, which will include a full site inspection next week.

“Only when those assessments have been completed and data analysed will we be in a clearer position to determine if the Regulation 36 Notice has been complied with, and whether the action taken by the operator has improved the odour issue.

“If the series of steps required in this Notice are not complied with, we will consider the appropriate further enforcement action, looking at all options available to us under the regulations.

“While the pressing work required by the operator progresses over the coming days, the site remains under investigation, and we will continue our regulatory efforts.”

• Works associated with the capping of the cell have continued this week. This has required the extension of three leachate wells within the uncapped section of the landfill. For short periods of time some leachate wells will need to be temporarily disconnected to allow capping works to be completed. Where this is necessary the operator has been instructed to re-connect the wells as soon as possible.
• Additional landfill gas wells have been connected to the gas abstraction network, which transfers landfill gas to the Gas Utilisation Plant (GUP). This is situated in the southwest corner of the landfill and has been treating gas at the site since 2007. The site has two gas engines that are used to generate electricity, which is then sent to the National Grid. There is also a large, enclosed flare that is used to treat excess gas. The GUP is designed to have excess treatment capacity for the site’s gas generation.

If odour issues are present after 14 May, residents and workers in the communities surrounding the landfill are urged to continue to report the odour to NRW via the online reporting form or by calling 0300 065 3000.

The first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).  

NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on Thursday 18 April.

This outlined a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.

During the latest site inspection which took place yesterday (Thursday 25 April), NRW was able to confirm that three actions have been completed - two ahead of the imposed deadlines.

The operator has installed 24 pin wells, which have been driven into the waste in the lower section of the cell identified as causing the odour issues (Cell 8). These have also been connected to the landfill gas extraction system.

Capping material has been placed over the same area of the cell and welded to the basal liner to encapsulate gas in this area, allowing for extraction by the pin wells and four horizontal gas wells, which were previously installed.

While progress is being made, NRW officers detected strong landfill gas odours during an offsite assessment on Wednesday (24 April) in Poyston Cross and Crundale. Weather conditions this week appear to have led to a wider spread of landfill gas to surrounding areas, not solely linked to wind direction.

NRW odour assessments follow a set route around the landfill, with designated survey spots, identified to enable consistency of assessment and reporting. This is essential to ensure the regulatory and enforcement responses where there is offsite odour attributed to the landfill is robust. 

The remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time and NRW continues to closely monitor progress.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW, met with representatives from NRW’s South West Industry Regulation Team and Pembrokeshire County Council during a visit to Pembrokeshire on Thursday 25 April.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales, said: 

“While visiting the area surrounding Withyhedge Landfill with our regulatory team and partners from Pembrokeshire County Council this week, I was able to see and hear for myself just what people living and working in these communities have had to endure as a result of the odour issues from the site.

“Our officers have been working tirelessly alongside colleagues at Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator gets this under control as quickly as possible. While it was clear that a lot of work has been done on site, there is still more to do to ensure they address all the actions set out in the enforcement notice.

“We want to make sure that happens, and are exploring every option together with Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator works quickly to resolve the issues which are clearly affecting the quality of life of people in these communities.”

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, said:

“While we are reassured that action is being carried out by the operators at Withyhedge Landfill with a sense of urgency, we are continuing our regulatory presence on site to ensure the operator’s focus remains on tackling the issues that will address the continuing odour issues being experienced by surrounding communities.

“We will be closely monitoring progress over the coming days and weeks to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May. If they are not met, we will pursue additional enforcement action where appropriate.”

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge or by calling 0300 065 3000.

Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.

PIC CAPTION: These photos taken on 16 April and 25 April show the progress of capping works on cell 8. Pin wells are visible in both images. These have been connected to the landfill gas extraction system and are extracting gas from the waste mass.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has taken further enforcement action at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire, setting out the urgent steps that must be taken by its operators to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.

NRW has issued site operators Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice which requires the operator to deliver a series of actions by specified deadlines – the first of which is to be achieved by 21 April 2024.The actions include implementing measures relating to gas management infrastructure, further capping of areas of the site, as well as improving interim cover arrangements as the work progresses.  Each of the steps outlined in the Notice have to be completed by 14 May, although the notice stipulates that the majority of the works will be required to be completed before 8 May. The measures are intended to address the odour issues experienced by communities surrounding the site.

While actions set out in the Section 36 Notice issued in February to prepare and cap a waste cell and install gas infrastructure to contain and collect landfill gases appear to have been completed, other possible areas on site where odour may be coming from have been identified by the site operator.

RML submitted their plans on how to resolve these issues last week, with the proposed solutions informing the actions included in the new S36 notice issued this week.

This new enforcement activity requires the operator to deliver the additional steps they need to take. If the actions outlined in this new Notice are not complied with, NRW will will not hesitate to take further action and will consider all the regulatory tools available – including issuing a Section 37 suspension notice, should this be appropriate.

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, NRW, said:

“NRW is taking additional enforcement action to ensure RML Ltd. takes the urgent action they have identified that is needed to get the odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill under control.  

“We fully understand the growing discontent from the communities, affected by these odour and landfill gas emissions.

“We want to reassure everyone that we are committed to ensuring RML Ltd. deliver the actions they have identified, and that they work quickly to bring this issue to a resolution.

“While the pressing work required by the operator progresses over the coming days and weeks, the site remains under investigation and we will continue our regulatory presence.

“There are issues which are under investigation. If breaches to permit condition are considered to have taken place, then they may be subject to criminal sanctions. The resulting evidence from these enquiries will be reviewed to decide upon the appropriate criminal response.”

Will Bramble, Pembrokeshire County Council Chief Executive, said:

“We are extremely disappointed that RML, the company managing the Withyhedge landfill site, has not delivered the necessary action to stop the completely unacceptable odour emissions.

“We fully support the additional enforcement action being taken by NRW and continue to work closely with them to do all in our power to correct the situation. 

"We also support the intent of NRW to take further action should it fail to meet the deadline set of 14 May 2024 – including considering taking action to suspend the permit.

“Geotechnology is carrying out monitoring under the direction of the air quality cell and liaising directly with residents affected.

“We will ensure the data is made available to the public at the earliest opportunity.”

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge.

Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) shared the most recent findings from a visit to Withyhedge Landfill site in Pembrokeshire at a Multi-agency Incident Management Team meeting on Wednesday, 10 April. The meeting included representatives from Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC), Public Health Wales (PHW) and Hywel Dda University Health Board.

All authorities acknowledge and empathise with the impact this prolonged odour issue is having on members of the communities that surround Withyhedge Landfill.

This is a complex and ever-changing situation, and partners are working extremely hard to reach a point where the odour problems are resolved.

NRW officers attended the site on Monday 8 April. It appears, from a visual assessment of the work undertaken on site, that the required capping work and gas well installation has been completed by site operators, RML, in line with the deadline of the S36 Enforcement Notice, issued by NRW on 13 February 2024.

However, this can only be fully assessed by NRW once survey and construction validation reports have been submitted. The operator is now preparing these and once received, a formal assessment will be undertaken.

The authorities will review the findings and revise their action plans where appropriate.

Odour Monitoring

Since the passing of the S36 Enforcement Notice deadline of Friday 5 April, and in response to continued high volumes of odour reports from the local community, NRW and PCC increased odour monitoring in residential areas over the weekend and into this week.

Other possible areas on site where odour may be coming from have been identified and the statement from the company issued 9 April provides further detail.

RML submitted plans to address these on 10 April, which are now being considered by NRW.

Air Quality Monitoring

RML has also commissioned an independent party to carry out air quality monitoring, and this work continues. PCC and NRW are providing technical advice in support of this work.

The first round of diffusion tubes monitoring results detected Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) at one of the 10 monitoring sites. Hydrogen sulphide being a colourless gas which often smells like rotten eggs and can come from the breakdown of waste materials in landfill.

More data is required for meaningful analysis and Public Health Wales continue to advocate for further air monitoring to take place as soon as possible. This is being progressed by PCC and NRW.

Reporting odour

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge.

Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.

On 13 February 2024, NRW served a Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on RML, the operator of Withyhedge Landfill requiring them to complete a number of actions.

In recent weeks we have visited Withyhedge Landfill on a number of occasions to check progression with actions in the Notice, and to ensure that this work has not created other problems.

By close of play on 5 April 2024, the operator is required to have completed preparatory work, capping, and gas infrastructure installation on a previously uncapped waste mass. The work set out in the Notice has the purpose of containing and collecting landfill gas being produced in this area.

On Monday 8 April 2024, NRW will be attending Withyhedge Landfill to assess compliance with the actions required by the Notice, and inspect all other areas of the site. We will then consider the findings internally, and discuss with Pembrokeshire County Council and Public Health Wales at our multi-agency meeting on 10 April. We will publish an update on next steps in due course.  

As the onsite work progressed, we had anticipated that fugitive emissions would decrease and therefore odour reports would also subside. However, in recent weeks we have seen high volumes of reports and NRW officers have confirmed offsite odours from the landfill on occasions.

Following a high number of calls on Tuesday 2 April, NRW officers attended the landfill and conducted an offsite odour assessment in surrounding communities. While landfill gas was detected at one location, the predominant odours detected at that time were agricultural. However, in light of continuing concerns from the community, and the possibility that our assessment didn’t coincide with the period of strongest odours, we will undertake further odour assessments over the coming days.

We will continue with a regulatory presence at the site linked with our priority of ensuring that the site is being operated and managed in compliance with the permit, especially in relation to emission control. Any enforcement action necessary will be taken in line with our Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

We have received many odour complaints since yesterday afternoon.

We are making enquiries to establish if there is an explanation for the reports of a stronger than normal odour, and one which is more widespread in the past 36 hours.

We had recorded a steady decline in the number of reports received in recent weeks until now.

Enforcement Notice

On 13 February 2024 we served an Enforcement Notice on the landfill operator. We maintain the work required under this Notice represents the most effective way of removing the source of the odour.  

The Notice required RML to complete several actions relating to an uncapped waste mass, which had been identified as the most likely source of landfill gas emissions and odour. The Notice includes several actions, some of which need to happen in a specific order, reflected by different completion deadlines.   

First action completed

The first action, which related to preparatory work prior to capping, was completed last week, in advance of the deadline of 15 March 2024. This has also enabled the capping work to progress ahead of schedule. In addition, all gas wells are in situ and are ready to be connected to the landfill gas collection infrastructure in a phased manner.

Gas survey

A gas survey undertaken by NRW during a compliance inspection on 7 March 2024 revealed much lower levels of methane emissions compared to a similar survey on 19 December 2023. However, there are areas of waste yet to be capped and these have the potential to release gas.

Engineering work

NRW is hopeful all engineering work on the previously uncapped area will be completed before the deadline of 5 April 2024. However, we appreciate the distress, anger and frustration caused by the impact of odour on local communities in the past couple of days. We are in daily dialogue with the landfill operator about the urgency of the situation and will be attending site again this week.

Air quality

On Friday 8 March 2024, NRW joined a multi-agency Air Quality Cell meeting regarding offsite monitoring. Results from the first set of diffusion tubes deployed in the communities around the landfill are expected early next week. All authorities including Public Health Wales will receive the data.

Dedicated reporting form

Please continue to report occurrences of odour via our dedicated reporting form or by calling 0300 065 3000.

PIC CAPTION: NRW regulatory officer inspecting the integrity of the capped area and gas management system

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Public Health Wales and Pembrokeshire County Council will ensure capping of a waste cell causing significant odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill happens as swiftly and safely as possible. 

The three public bodies have been in regular contact since the start of the year. Following a public meeting held on Monday, 26 February, they are continuing to work together to achieve progress in resolving the issues affecting the communities surrounding the landfill.

Erin Smyth-Evans, Industry Regulation Team Leader for South West, NRW, said: 

“NRW is continuing its on-site inspections to ensure the site operator is moving forward effectively in its work to cap the cell where we have identified the most probable source of the odour. Work onsite is progressing daily and we anticipate noticeable reductions in landfill gas emissions and odours in the coming weeks. 

“NRW is also continuing its investigations into permit non-compliances. Our investigatory enquiries will take time and at present, ensuring the capping works are complete is our top priority.” 

The public bodies are working with the site operator to monitor air quality in response to increasing health concerns from the local community. Results are expected to start being received mid-March. Public Health Wales will then be able to provide further advice dependent on those results. 

Dr Giri Shankar, Director of Health Protection for Public Health Wales, said:  

“We recognise that local people are under strain and are very concerned about the impacts of odours around the Withyhedge landfill site.

“While Public Health Wales is not the lead agency for matters like this, we are working very closely with NRW to make sure the situation is improved quickly to reduce the impact on local people.  We have met with NRW and the local authority and are eager to see an urgent solution to this issue.  We have also recommended that the site is capped as soon as possible so that the odours are stopped.

“We have also called for monitoring at the site, as this will provide us with the important information that we need to help us conduct a full assessment of any potential health impacts on the local community. 

“Our current advice to local residents is that odours and emissions from this site may be harmful to health, and that they should keep doors and windows closed when the smells are present and seek medical advice if necessary.  We hope this situation can be quickly improved.” 

Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said:

“We recognise the impact of odours on the local community coming from the Withyhedge site and we understand the level of concern this has caused.

“Since before Christmas our officers have been working closely with colleagues from lead organisation NRW to assess the incidence of odours from Withyhedge. Officers from our Planning and Public Protection teams have visited the site alongside NRW colleagues and engaged with the operators.

“I assure you a lot of work is continuing in the background and all public bodies have reconfirmed their commitment to ensuring a long term solution to the problems as soon as possible.

“As partners we have also committed to continue engaging with the local community and updating on the situation going forward.”

Members of the public are urged to continue reporting odour incidents to NRW. 

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge 

Here you will also find detailed information on NRW’s investigation and action to date.

We held a virtual public meeting on 31.1.24. to explain to community members affected by the odour and pollution issues what action NRW has taken so far, and what we plan to do next.

Below is the presentation that our industry regulations team gave to attendees.

Your browser does not support inline PDF viewing. Please download the PDF.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is hosting a virtual public meeting to update the community affected by odour coming from Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire. 

The online meeting will take place on Wednesday, 31 January, at 6pm. 

NRW’S Industry Regulation team will provide an update on recent regulatory activity as well as wider context around the permit held by the operator and NRW’s role in ensuring compliance with that permit. The event will conclude with a question-and-answer session. 

Members of the community who wish to attend should complete the online form, which includes opportunity to provide questions beforehand that NRW will endeavour to cover during the meeting. 

NRW has been receiving high volumes of reports of odour and pollution concerns from community members. The organisation believes the principle source of odour to be an uncapped cell containing waste which is producing landfill gas. The regulations team's primary objective is ensuring that actions to reduce odour emissions are undertaken by the operator. 

Erin Smyth-Evans, Industry Regulation Team Leader for south west, said: 

“We have been inundated with reports from the local community regarding odour and other pollution concerns at Withyhedge and understand the frustration and anger this is causing. Due to the volume of calls and our officers focussing on reducing the odour, we have been unable to provide individual feedback. 

“We’re holding this virtual meeting to provide people with a full update on our regulatory activity and answer as many questions as possible. Providing the appropriate level of feedback to the community is important and this event marks the beginning of improved engagement with the local community.” 

To confirm attendance at the meeting and to submit a question for the Q&A session, complete the following form: https://bit.ly/BookingFormWithyhedge. 

Details on how to join the meeting will be sent to the email address provided in the booking form. 

Natural Resources Wales would like to thank those who continue to report odour incidents from Withyhedge Landfill, Pembrokeshire.

Please be assured we are taking each report seriously and are focussing all our efforts on addressing the issues raised. Due to the unprecedented number of reports we’re receiving, we are unable to provide individual feedback at this time.

We are receiving some reports from beyond the immediate surrounding communities which we are seeking to verify to confirm the extent of impact. In addition, many calls are now detailing health concerns.

Whilst we take such reports very seriously, Natural Resources Wales is not the competent authority to assess the impact on human health.

If you are concerned about impacts on your health, you should:

• Seek advice from a medical professional e.g. a GP; or
• Contact NHS Direct Wales on 111 or at https://111.wales.nhs.uk/

In accordance with our incident procedures, we have notified Public Health Wales of these reports.

We still view the uncapped cell containing previously tipped waste as the most likely source of landfill gas emission and odour.

Ways to speed up the capping and gas management installation works are being explored. It is critical NRW undertake the necessary checks to ensure that decisions made to resolve issues more promptly now, don’t generate other risks in the future. We are waiting for additional information from the operator to allow us to make these assessments.

We will be contacting community leaders this week to confirm a date for a virtual meeting, which will provide an opportunity for NRW to provide a more detailed update on the work being carried out to investigate and resolve the odour and pollution issues. This will include a question and answer session.

Keep checking our website for updates and reporting odour either via this online form Report a smell at Withyhedge Landfill, our 24-hour number - 0300 065 3000. Please ensure the report includes a description of the odour, the time noticed and the duration it is experienced.

We continue to receive large numbers of odour incident reports regarding Withyhedge Landfill, Pembrokeshire, and understand the frustration and anger this is causing in local communities.

Before Christmas we served an Enforcement Notice on the landfill operator requiring them to cover all exposed waste before the festive break to reduce fugitive odour emissions. Although the site completed this action, unfortunately it appears to have had limited impact on reducing offsite odours.

The landfill reopened on 2 January and residents may have seen vehicles arriving since this date. No further waste will be deposited in the cell where tipping was taking place before Christmas. The construction validation report for a new cell has been agreed and waste will be deposited in this location.

During our site inspection on 19 December 2023, we carried out a preliminary landfill gas survey in the cell used to deposit waste in 2023. The results indicate that gas at varying levels is being released across the waste mass as it begins to decompose. We consider this to be the most probable source of offsite odours.

The cell requires capping and the installation of landfill gas collection and extraction infrastructure to manage this gas. This is standard landfill engineering and the best way to resolve the ongoing odour issues.

The operator has submitted a plan to NRW outlining the steps to cap the former cell. We are currently reviewing this document. The plan indicates a timeframe of 2 – 3 months to complete the capping and landfill gas infrastructure; we will seek to expediate this wherever possible. The plan will not see a reduction in odours which may extend offsite in the immediate or short term. The process will also involve reprofiling the cell prior to capping and this could generate additional odour.

We have increased our regulatory presence onsite and our higher level of oversight will continue for the foreseeable. We are investigating several potential permit non-compliances and where appropriate will take further enforcement action.

We fully acknowledge the level of discontent in the communities surrounding Withyhedge Landfill. We also recognise that our feedback to incident reporters has been limited due to the volume of calls received and us prioritising site-based regulation.

We hope this serves as a useful update but appreciate there may be a lot of questions about the site and our regulatory activity. Therefore, we intend to hold a virtual online meeting in the next couple of weeks to address these queries. Further information on this will follow.

We are thankful to those who are raising this issue to us and encourage anyone affected by odour, or who has concerns about pollution from Withyhedge Landfill, to contact NRW and report via our 24-hour number - 0300 065 3000, or report online Natural Resources Wales / Report an incident. Please ensure the report includes a description of the odour, the time noticed and the duration it is experienced.

We fully recognise and understand the great deal of concern there is amongst the local community surrounding Withyhedge Landfill.

We do not underestimate the impact the continuing reports of odour from the site is having on residents and visitors to the area and we are taking this matter seriously.

We are also aware of the apparent overflow from a containment pond and potential pollution caused to the Rudbaxton Brook. This matter is under investigation

Our officers are working extremely hard to ensure the landfill operators take immediate action before the Christmas break to limit impacts from the site over the festive period.

We will continue to update the community as our regulatory activities progress.

Response to reports

We have been receiving increasing numbers of reports of odour from Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire from surrounding communities since October.

Offsite odour attributed to Withyhedge Landfill has been substantiated by NRW staff on four occasions. We have also detected other odours in the area from agricultural sources and recognise other odour sources are present. We will continue with our odour assessments and are being supported by Pembrokeshire County Council in this activity.

Site Visits

To regulate this site and ensure compliance with its permit our regulatory officers carry out reviews of data, reports and other information provided by the operator. We also carry out site visits to see first-hand how the site is being operated.

Our regulatory officers have attended the landfill on three occasions in November and December 2023 primarily to inspect aspects of the site operation and management which could be contributing to offsite odours.  Advice and instruction have been provided to the site operator following our visits. We have reinforced the completion of certain actions agreed with the operator by the issue of an enforcement notice. We will continue to monitor the situation and escalate our response if required.

NRW officers are also investigating possible effluent pollution from the site linked to a specific event that was filmed and posted online. Unfortunately, there was a delay in this being reported to NRW. The area of the site in question was inspected on 19 December 2023 and enquiries are ongoing.

Environmental Permit

Withyhedge Landfill operates under an Environmental Permit, which requires the operators to comply with a set of rules and conditions.  To comply with the permit operators must be able to explain to us and explain in their management system what measures they are using to protect people and the environment. If something goes wrong, we need to know what the operator is going to do about it.

Withyhedge Landfill’s permit specifies what types of waste can be disposed of there, and how much can be accepted, but it does not include restrictions on the origin of the waste The volume of waste the site is permitted to accept has not changed since 2011.

Report it

We are grateful to everyone that has reported issues related to this site to us to date, and hope that they are reassured that we are taking all the necessary steps to address this matter.

We encourage anyone affected by odour, or who has concerns about pollution from Withyhedge Landfill, to contact NRW and report via our 24-hour number - 0300 065 3000, or report online Natural Resources Wales / Report an incident and ensure to provide a description of the type of smell you are experiencing.