Residents could be about to see an end to their bad odour torment according to Acomb ward councillors. Councillors David Horton and Tracey Simpson-Laing will announce at tonight's Acomb ward committee meeting that the Environment Agency has responded to their concerns over unpleasant smells coming from the nearby Harewood Whin waste recycling plant.

The councillors were responding to an Environment Agency statement (attached) which declares that 2 out of the 3 requirements made of Yorwaste earlier this year have been met. The final requirement is expected to be met within the next 3 weeks, after months of delays.

Coun. Simpson-Laing said:

"It has taken several years for this issue to be sorted out and it is not acceptable that Yorwaste has not acted sooner. They may claim I suspect that the emissions are not harmful to health but I have had many residents tell me that the smell has made them feel unwell. There is not a week that goes by without a resident contacting us. Yorwaste has known this problem exists and should have looked at examples from other waste treatment plants to see how it could tackle the problem sooner".

Coun. Horton added:

"Many residents have been helping the Environment Agency by monitoring the times and dates of the foul smells. Their work has been helpful to the Agency in terms of logging the smells, but we should not have had to get to this point. I'm thankful that at least now the end seems to be in sight for those residents who have been forced to put up with this".