Campaigners trying to protect their communities and families from potentially harmful odours from the Withyhedge Landfill Site are outraged to find out that the gases from the site are being monitored by the company creating them.

Residents within a four-mile radius of the Withyhedge Landfill Site say that they are regularly assailed by a smell ‘like a stink bomb on steroids’ which causes sore throats and watery eyes and means that residents cannot open their windows and their children can’t go outside to play.

The problem has been ongoing since October, with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) giving RML, the company that owns and manages the site, until April 5 to sort it out.

Locals were told that the gas from the site, believed to be harmful hydrogen sulphide, would be monitored and believed that this would be done by the regulatory bodies.

They have since found out that RML itself is monitoring the gas and say that they have no faith in the findings.

“We have found out that NRW and Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) haven’t done anything themselves to measure the toxicity level of the gases escaping from the Withyhedge Landfill Site,” said campaigner Colin Barnett.

“On the contrary they have actually asked RML to carry out the activity. This is the RML UK Ltd waste management company that has been allowed to pollute our air and our water because they have been self-reporting their waste statistics, volumes, leachate and odour levels to Natural Resources Wales annually.”

Colin says that self-regulation of the site has led to a ‘perfect storm’, leaving the surrounding communities, frequently having to breathe in ‘rancid foul air’ and suspected hydrogen sulphide.

He added that despite hundreds of calls to NRW, 822 in January alone, and requests for help to PCC, neither agency has provided a physical response to assess the danger and measure the strength of the gas.

“Residents were and still are genuinely scared for their health,” said Colin.

“It turns out that neither our local authority, environmental regulators nor public health responded to monitor the gas levels.

“It was RML who subcontracted a company to put monitors in the community. It's RML who are paying for the work, it's RML who will get the report and it's RML who will share the data with the NRW, PCC, councillors and then finally us.”

Colin said that Stop the Stink did not trust the results of a report by the company producing the pollution as valid data.

“This amateurish, lackadaisical approach needs to receive the very highest attention from government,” he added.

In a joint statement PCC and NRW said: “Air quality monitoring is taking place in the communities around Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire.

“This is currently being organised by the site operator with oversight and advice from NRW and PCC. Officers from PCC pollution control team are periodically accompanying the site operator while they conduct off-site monitoring.

“Results from the first set of diffusion tubes deployed in the communities around the landfill are expected imminently. All authorities including Public Health Wales will receive the data.”

RML, which manages the site added that, while the company commissioned the air quality monitoring to take place, all work is being carried out by independently accredited environmental consultants.

“The consultants employed to carry out the work were recruited in full consultation with the local authority and regulator Natural Resources Wales,” said an RML spokesperson.

“In addition, the local authority will have direct access to the independent verification and analysis of the results, without any involvement from RML.”

The spokesperson added that RML is fully committed to delivering the agreed work to stop the odours before the April 5 deadline.

“RML is currently working to resolve the odour issue as quickly possible and is making very good progress,” they said.