‘Risk to human health’: Order to clear ‘stinking’ waste site after operator loses appeal

A planning inspector upheld a decision by the Environment Agency (EA) to issue a revocation notice against Mineral Processing Ltd, at South Elmsall.

The company appealed the decision to the Planning Inspectorate and a hearing was held last December.

A report by inspector Hilda Higenbottam, published on Monday (March 2), said: “In this case the evidence demonstrates that the way in which this site is operated presents a real and ongoing risk to the environment and human health.

“The appellant has been given ample opportunity to address the shortcomings of how the site has been managed and has failed to address those shortcomings.”

Hundreds of residents have complained about about a stench, dust and litter coming from the land on Hacking Lane.

Ms Higenbottam said there had been 66 breaches of permit conditions over a nine-year period from 2016 to 2025.

She also agreed with a previous report published last year which said the facility posed a risk to nearby watercourses, including Frickley Beck.

The decision means the company, also known as Minore, must cease all activities under the permit and all exempt waste must be removed from the site by August 2029.

Michelle Collins, councillor for South Elmsall and South Kirkby, told residents who attended the hearing last December: “Your lives have been disrupted.

“Your health has been affected. Your homes have been invaded by a stench so strong it has made people physically ill.

“You have been treated unfairly. You have been treated dismissively and you have been treated without the basic respect that every resident deserves.”

Following the decision, Coun Collins said: “Upholding the revocation of the permit was the right decision and a deadline for removing the waste is long overdue.

“Residents should not be expected to wait years longer for action on a problem that should already have been dealt with.”

Jon Trickett, MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, said: “It is wholly unacceptable that this site was allowed to operate so irresponsibly.

“The harm caused to local residents and the surrounding environment is significant and will not be fixed overnight.

“However, I will do what I can to ensure the operator fully complies with the inspector’s decision and the requirements set out by the Environment Agency.”

Carly Chambers, area environment manager for the EA in Yorkshire, said: “Mineral Processing Ltd has shown a total disregard for the regulatory efforts of the Environment Agency and the impact on local residents and the environment.

“We welcome the decision of the Planning Inspectorate to dismiss the company’s appeal, meaning the permit is now revoked.

“We will continue to closely monitor activity at the site and expect the operator to comply with the steps set out in the revocation notice.”

A further public inquiry over the site is due to take place on March 17 after the company appealed against Wakefield Council’s decision to refuse an application to allow it to remain open for another ten years.

The company previously said it planned to transform the land into wild flower meadow, wetland, ponds and public open space.

A spokesperson for the firm said: “Currently the site is excavating materials and processing them, which is not in contravention of the notices issued by the EA but in compliance with them.

“The site has been here since the late 19th century as Victorian brickworks, ash pit and council tip for the deposit of coal ash from domestic fires, up until the late 1950s.

“There has not been any pollution incident in Frickley Beck in those 100 years.

“The company samples the water regularly as part of the monitoring regime and has found no effect on Frickley Beck when taking water samples.

“Our employees have been working at the site for over 12 years and now fear for their jobs due to this escalation in action against the site on human health grounds when none of our employees have ever been affected.”