Residents complaining about foul odours emanating from the Harewood Whin waste processing site to the west of York look set for more of the same, a local councillor has said. Acomb councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing says residents are reaching the end of their tethers with the intrusion into their homes, and that the Environment Agency (EA) is not progressing the issue. She said:

"The council says it has no powers to act in this matter, saying it is the responsibility of the EA. I know the EA did serve the site's operator, Yorwaste, with a notice to comply during July. The end of that notice period has been reached and the EA has confirmed Yorwaste is still not complying with its requirements.

"I feel extremely sympathetic to residents' anger and frustration over this matter, and how it seems to be taking an age for Yorwaste to be in compliance or be closed. The rather telling information I have is that work is ongoing and should be complete by this week, but it ‘may extend beyond then'. I really want to see action taken, and for Yorwaste to understand the affect the site is having on people's lives. I regard the delays as unacceptable, and call on the EA to make a public statement about what it intends to do next as this cannot go on indefinitely".

"Yorwaste's claim to provide environmentally sound and sustainable waste management solutions is currently open to challenge and I will be doing exactly that. And I also challenge the suggestion the council is powerless in this matter; together with North Yorkshire County Council it owns YorWaste so I should very much hope it is in a position to influence what this organisation is doing or something is very wrong".