A COUNCILLOR says that work is being carried out to prevent odour 'escaping' from a Wrexham quarry that residents have raised concerns about.

A "rotten egg" smell was first reported by members of the Johnstown community in October of last year.

The odour was believed to be located at the Hafod Quarry Landfill site in the village.

But, despite significant work to address the smell, residents were still being affected as late on as January of this year. 

Local councillor David A Bithell, alongside MS Ken Skates, have been calling for the issue to be fixed for some time and have held meetings with both Enovert, the owners of the landfill site, and Natural Resources Wales. 

This week, Pant and Johnstown councillor David A Bithell has provided an update on the matter.

He says that Public Protection and Highway officers met with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) at the site recently.

He added that work carried out to prevent the odour 'escaping' from the site has seen an 'improvement' in Johnstown.

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Cllr Bithell said: "In relation to Odour matters they confirm that we have viewed the currently worked cell and viewed that membranes have now been installed to prevent excess odour escaping.

"We understand that the odour issues experienced over Autumn and Winter are due to not capping the waste due to engineering constraints. We noticed that odour experienced on site was limited to freshly deposited waste. Officers have also been present in Johnstown on a few occasions over the past two weeks and have noted an improvement.

"In relation to the mud on road deposits the operator in ensuring good practice is followed and has provided the operator with contact details of nearby suppliers that may assist in the event of future breakdowns.

"In addition, we asked for visual inspection of the road to be undertaken on a daily basis to ensure a prompt response and a record be kept to ensure compliance.

"I am meeting with Ken Skates with the operator in the near future- in the meantime please contact NRW if you have any issues or complaints from the site."

James McClymont, NRW Team Leader Industry & Waste Regulation for North Wales, added: “We continue to assess compliance with the enforcement notice served on the site operators at Hafod Landfill in December 2023.

“The site operator has since completed several recent works that include temporary capping of cells and installation of pin wells to reduce the potential for odours.

“NRW officers have visited the site several times in recent weeks and will continue to ensure they meet the requirements of their Environmental Permit.

"We continue to encourage residents to report any odours believed to be coming from the landfill to NRW on 0300 065 3000 or via our online report it form."

Enovert have also been approached for comment on the matter.