“It’s embarrassing”: Rochdale locals in anger over Pilsworth landfill stench return

A stench coming from Bury has once again angered locals, including some from Rochdale, in the past week.

The stench from Pilsworth Landfill Site in Bury was approved to expand operations months ago, yet odours are still reaching areas in places like Heywood.

It was first detected 18 months ago, and last year the Environment Agency (EA) and councillors got involved.

"It's embarrassing, people come round and say 'what's that smell,' it's never going to get better."

Paul Frost, from Heywood, said: “It’s embarrassing and it’s bad, people come round the area and say, ‘what’s that smell’, and you have to explain it’s a tip two miles away.

“It needs addressing pretty quickly, you can imagine the temperature starts going up it’s going to get worse. It’s never going to get better.”

It’s understood the returning stench can be found from the M66 and in the Morrisons in Heywood’s centre.

Last June, Pilsworth’s site was set expand its operations after the EA approved a permit to increase the amount of waste allowed to be treated at the site.

"You get paranoid that they think it's your garden or house."

Cllr Angela Brown, of West Heywood, said: “When you bring visitors or family who are not from Heywood and you bring them to your house or something, you get paranoid that they think it's your garden or house.”

“You don’t just smell it in one location, you can walk five minutes and you still smell it.

“A couple of years ago it was that classic landfill smell, from what I’m smelling now is different.”