Fleetwood tip 'needs shutting down' says MP

A landfill site in Fleetwood which has faced complaints from residents about the stench of "rotten egg" should close, an MP has said.

Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, said the sooner that the site on Jameson Road shuts down "the better for the environment".

Her comments come as the Environment Agency (EA) is investigating a "small liquid discharge" pooling at the southern edge of the site, with samples taken away for analysis.

Transwaste, the operator, said all waste is screened at a transfer station beforehand to remove any recyclables and ensure that it conforms to the EA permit.

Beavers told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We all know that tip is historic, there's lots of nasty things at the bottom of it."

A spokesperson for EA said the agency is "confident" in the site's engineering standards and added the area is "fully lined" to prevent leachate escaping.

Transwaste has been asked to carry out work to prevent any further discharge.

The Labour MP has previously campaigned to change landfill site legislation to empower the EA to "shut these places down immediately".

In July the landfill site operator was served a suspension notice to stop accepting waste until work to control the cause of the odours was undertaken.

The suspension was withdrawn in April after Transwaste met the conditions.

Despite thousands of complaints about the smell of rotten eggs which made some residents ill, the landfill site was deemed to have met safety standards after an EA report in May.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.