Transcript

Toby Perkins: I am here in Duckmanton with Cllr Anne-Francis Hayes and Channi Khera. We’ve been speaking about the issues at Erin Void for quite some time, but they’ve really got a lot worse. The smells this week in Poolsbrook and Duckmanton are worse than people have ever known. We met today Anne to discuss the issues that have been going on and the worries about health. So, Anne, what is it you’re calling for?

Cllr Hayes: I am calling for Valencia to reinstate the Community Liaison Group that they promised to, as a matter of urgency. I’m also asking them to relook at the funding streams that they promised residents and community groups in Poolsbrook and Duckmanton and I’m calling for the Environment Agency to look into these emissions, as a matter of urgency and to feed back to residents and myself and yourself, as a matter of urgency.

Toby: And Channi, you’ve been speaking to people across Duckmanton in the run up to the Town Council bye-election. How big a problem do you think it is?

Channi Khera: It’s quite big. Residents of Duckmanton, the ones I have spoken to, are concerned. Concerned, like you said, emissions, the gas, the smell, vermin, it’s a big topic really that we want to get sorted the sooner the better.

Toby: The truth is we have been going on about this over many years. There have been periods where it seems to improve but we need to make sure we are all working collectively. People don’t want to be having to attend meetings with a local landfill. They are having to because of the failures there have been on that site. We need the Environment Agency to step up and we need Valencia to make sure they’re delivering on their promises.