The first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire have been met, one week on from further enforcement action issued by Natural Resources Wales.

NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on April 18.

This outlined a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.

During the latest site inspection which took place on April 25, NRW was able to confirm that three actions have been completed - two ahead of the imposed deadlines.

The operator has installed 24 pin wells, which have been driven into the waste in the lower section of the cell identified as causing the odour issues (Cell 8).

These have also been connected to the landfill gas extraction system.

Capping material has been placed over the same area of the cell and welded to the basal liner to encapsulate gas in this area, allowing for extraction by the pin wells and four horizontal gas wells, which were previously installed.

While progress is being made, NRW officers detected strong landfill gas odours during an offsite assessment on April 24 in Poyston Cross and Crundale.

Weather conditions this week appear to have led to a wider spread of landfill gas to surrounding areas, not solely linked to wind direction.

The remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time, with NRW to continue to closely monitor progress.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW said it was ‘unacceptable’ what people living and working in these communities have had to endure.

“While it was clear that a lot of work has been done on site, there is still more to do to ensure they address all the actions set out in the enforcement notice,” she said.

“We want to make sure that happens, and are exploring every option to ensure the operator works quickly to resolve the issues which are clearly affecting the quality of life of people in these communities.”

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations said: “We will be closely monitoring progress over the coming days and weeks to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by May 14.

“If they are not met, we will pursue additional enforcement action where appropriate.”