EA issues fresh permit breach over capping at Walleys Quarry

A controversial landfill in North Staffordshire has been hit with a fresh breach of non-compliance after a recent inspection.

A category 2 non-compliance breach was picked up at Walleys Quarry in June relating to issues with temporary capping across the site.

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency posted the following statement:

"On 19 June 2023 the Environment Agency conducted an unannounced site inspection to assess the engineering and capping works, and compliance with permit conditions.

"We identified that Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL) had failed to install adequate temporary clay capping to the flanks of Phases 1, 2, 3 and 4 (defined areas of the landfill where waste has been deposited).

"We assessed this as a category 2 non-compliance according to the Compliance Classification Scheme (CCS), as it is reasonably foreseeable that there could be a significant impact on quality of life if not addressed promptly and adequately. This is due to an increased risk of fugitive emissions of landfill gas with the potential for off-site odour to cause offence to local residents.

"We have required WQL to install any missing temporary clay capping over the flanks to the approved standard by 30 September 2023. We will monitor the progress of work and may consider taking enforcement action if necessary.

"The Environment Agency continues to robustly regulate WQL in accordance with our Contain, Capture and Destroy strategy."

Hits Radio News contacted Walleys Quarry Ltd and received the following response:

"WQL does not accept these findings and is in the process of challenging them directly with the Environment Agency - as we have successfully done so with previous incorrect scores."

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