We live in Britain’s smelliest village – it’s like a stink bomb’s gone off but there’s a major upside
LAST year my boyfriend and I moved to Silverdale, a village in part of the Staffordshire town Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Aside from its flora, fauna and historical buildings, the village has made a name for itself for a slightly less savoury reason.
Silverdale has been dubbed as “the smelliest village in the UK” since 2022.
It was not our first choice by a long shot and we had hoped to stay local in Newcastle-under-Lyme when we moved in, so we could be close to Paul’s family.
But Paul’s wheelchair needed special consideration and definitely a bungalow.
Most nearby bungalows topped £200,000 and still needed expensive ramps and showers installed.
My heart was sinking so when our bungalow came up and a shared ownership scheme run by the local council, Aspire, meant I could afford it, it felt like a lifeline.
Our one reservation? It was in Silverdale, dubbed ‘The Stinkiest Village’ by locals and the national press after a poll found the area had more complaints about smell than anywhere else in the UK.
On the two summer days we viewed the bungalow, smells were sparse and Paul and I also reasoned that with our 40-a-day smoking habits we are probably immune.
So, I went ahead and put a deposit for my share in a bungalow in Silverdale.
Today we’ve become better acquainted with the smell and have traced it to Walleys Quarry which is a large landfill about a mile from us.
It’s well known to locals and it often feels like there’s a big farting giant residing over us and letting out random stink bombs.
I called the Environmental Agency to lodge a complaint one day.
It was so bad we had to close all the windows and stay indoors, like prisoners in our own home.
“How would you describe the smell?” Asked the call handler at the Environmental Agency.
I stumbled a little as the first word in my head was “dog s**”
But I calmed down and replied: “Like rotten vegetables and fermented eggs, frankly.”
It’s a smell many locals have reported gravely affects their health, like Rebecca Currie, who bravely spoke-out about the effects on her young son’s respiratory health in this newspaper.
There are few benefits to my 40-a-day Lambert & Butler habit, but living here I’m more hardened than most to the stink that’s distinguished by an eggy-like pong.
I have however developed chronic asthma in the last year I have lived in Silverdale.
It could be caused by smoking, or the toxicity in the air – I don’t know yet. I’ve always been a heavy smoker and not had such a loud wheeze.
I now use my inhalers daily and they help and while I could stop smoking, I’m powerless to stop Walleys pollution.
It often feels like there’s a big farting giant residing over us and letting out random stink bombs
Erica Crompton
But local authorities aren’t just pegging their noses and turning a blind eye.
Like us residents, they all have deep concerns and unlike the quarry bosses, local authorities and senior figures in Parliament, across the local council, media outlets, GP surgeries, Government and NHS all acknowledge our plight and often fight on our behalf against Walleys Quarry – we’ve even had a Panorama documentary dedicated to us this year.
The local health trust has even set-up additional mental health support for people living in the area and affected by the smell.
It also causes excruciating embarrassment to say where I live these days, there’s a stigma to living here, for sure.
The last time I shopped at the local Aldi, the cashier asked:
“Where do you live”
I replied: “Silverdale”
He said: “ooooh, Stop the Stink!” (a local campaign group, dedicated to fighting the Quarry).
I felt stupid and underfoot that the first thing people know about my home is the stench.
Paul once bought a guest here and as they drove past the landfill, to our home, Paul’s guest asked if Paul had farted as he pulled a face? Paul hadn’t – it was the familiar smell of Walleys Quarry.
It’s been dubbed by the local press as a battle between David and Goliath; with residents, councils, GPs and doctors all silenced in the face of a corporation who deny any wrongdoing.
WHAT ARE LANDFILL GASES AND HOW ARE THEY HARMFUL?
What are landfill gases?
Landfill gas is formed in a landfill when biodegradable waste (such as food scraps, paper, and wood) rot and decompose (breakdown by bacteria) or evaporate.
The gas is a mixture of mostly methane and carbon dioxide. It also contains several other gases in small quantities.
The gas, if not properly contained within the engineered landfill, can seep out into the air and lead to unpleasant odours. The different gases that can make-up landfill gas vary depending upon the type of waste on a landfill site and how far the waste has broken down.
What are safe levels of exposure to hydrogen sulphide?
There are different health-based guideline values for short-term exposure (for example, up to 24 hours) and long-term exposure (for example, up to a year or over a lifetime).
If short-term and long-term concentrations are below guideline values, they are considered unlikely to pose a risk of direct physical harm.
Is there a risk of serious long-term health problems?
Hydrogen sulphide monitors were set up around the landfill site to determine whether there might be any long-term risks to physical health from cumulative exposure over time.
Based on the levels recorded, our assessment was the risk of serious long term health problems was small, as long as hydrogen sulphide levels continued to reduce over time.
Source: Staffordshire County Council
A spokesperson from the quarry said: “Residents need only look to the Environment Agency’s own reporting data to see the irrefutable evidence of substantial and sustained progress onsite to reduce emissions – this is as a result of the tireless efforts of Walleys Quarry Ltd.
“Since the beginning of 2022, the EA has collected well in excess of 200 reporting figures from four locations around the site. Of these, only ten registered an ‘annoyance level’ of 10% or more. Levels have remained below the World Health Organisation’s 24-hour average health guideline at all times throughout this period.
“Most residents have noticed the improvements – complaints have fallen by 90%.
The spokesperson from Walleys add: “Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has also recognised the improvements – noting the ‘best practicable means’ are in place at the site to control landfill gas and odour.”
Living here, I’ve found what Silverdale lacks in a rosy fragrance, it makes up for ten-fold in friendliness. People talk to each other here and the community is nicely integrated.
Of course, this makes it all the sadder that our local friends are so badly affected by the fart-like stench.
For us, we’re surrounded by countryside and green hills. In fact, our bungalow backs onto a hill of woodland.
Our local boozer, The Silverdale Working Mens Club, is fully wheelchair-accessible as well as offering pints of Stella for just £3.50.
We think it’s time to get to know this green and verdant village for its charm, not odour.
We have no plans to move from here and hope to live to see the day Walleys is shut down.