Spitall, a charming village nestled in historic and picturesque Pembrokeshire, is grappling with a stench so foul it's disrupting the idyllic life of its residents. Despite its picturesque setting, the village has been plagued by an odour that locals say punctures the calm and pollutes the air, turning the Welsh haven into a less-than-lovely destination.
Visitors might wonder how severe the situation could be, but the reality hits hard upon arrival. The smell is reminiscent of unrecycled waste bins left to decay in the sun, a scent that stubbornly clings to you, even infiltrating cars as they escape towards the cleaner breeze of the A40. And according to the villagers, the day of the visit wasn't even at its worst.
Sue Lewis, who sought a tight-knit community when she moved to Spittal three years ago with Colin Barnett, expressed her love for the village despite the issue. "We wanted to move to a small community where people really look after one another," she said. "We certainly do that here. We play rounders on the village green on weekends - it's that kind of place. It's fantastic here."
But then, out of the blue, last August, their tranquil life was shattered by an odd odour. "Someone put something up on Facebook - 'what's that funny smell? ' - and lots of us began to notice it. I phoned the council and they told me to contact Natural Resources Wales (NRW)."
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(WalesOnline/ Rob Browne)Ever since that day, Sue and Colin have been tirelessly reaching out for answers, they told Wales Online, desperate to reclaim the fresh air they once enjoyed, before their home started reeking like a rubbish dump. They even initiated a Facebook group which now boasts nearly 2,000 members quite significant considering Spittal's modest population of around 480 as per the latest census.
This highlights just how far-reaching "the smell" has become, tainting what used to be a pristine corner north of Haverfordwest. Sue mentioned conversations with local healthcare professionals at Withybush Hospital who've also noticed the stench, saying, "Imagine being treated in hospital and smelling that!"
The stench is reportedly emanating from the Withyhedge Landfill and Materials Recycling Facility, a stone's throw away from Spittal. The site, managed by Resources Management Ltd (RML), has permission to dump 250,000 tonnes of waste annually.
RML is part of the Dauson Environmental Group, which also owns Atlantic Recycling based in Cardiff. This company transports waste across South Wales to the Withyhedge site.
Sue and Colin even have to put up with the smell when inside their home (WalesOnline/ Rob Browne)In March, Atlantic Recycling admitted to not operating according to its permit conditions at its Cardiff site.
In another twist, Vaughan Gething, who is set to become the new First Minister, was slammed for "appalling judgement" after accepting £203,000 in donations from Dauson Environmental Group. This is despite David Neal, a high-ranking director of the company, receiving a suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegal waste dumping on a conservation site on the Gwent Levels.
He was later given another suspended sentence in 2017 along with fines and costs totalling £230,000 for failing to remove the waste. Last month, Mr Gething defended his actions on BBC's Politics Wales, stating there was "nothing wrong with what we've done" regarding the donation acceptance.
Current First Minister Mark Drakeford also confirmed that his successor-to-be had not violated the ministerial code.
A local resident taking in the not so fresh air in Spittal this week (WalesOnline/ Rob Browne)Despite no evidence of illegal or criminal activity at Withyhedge, both NRW and Pembrokeshire Council have been investigating the persistent odour. An enforcement notice was issued in February, stating "the issue should be resolved by a deadline of April 5".
However, that deadline has passed and the smell remains.
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The stench is not the only thing causing discomfort in the area - there's also a palpable reluctance to complain about it publicly. This hesitance is understandable given the importance of attracting visitors to Pembrokeshire, especially with summer just around the corner.
Two local businesses in the Haverfordwest area voiced their concerns about the smell but were hesitant to draw more attention to the issue. One business owner expressed his frustration, saying: "It's the start of the best season for businesses in Pembrokeshire, a county that relies heavily on tourism and hospitality. I want to know what Pembrokeshire Council is planning to do about this issue? It should be a priority for them."
Sue and Colin, local residents, claimed they had spoken to workers at Withyhedge who alleged that "machines there are not being looked after" and waste was being brought to the site when "there is nowhere for it to go", resulting in it "building up far higher than it should".
Sue Lewis and Colin Barnett brave the stench outside what was their dream home (WalesOnline/ Rob Browne)When waste materials break down, it can lead to the creation of hydrogen sulphide - a fact acknowledged by NRW as "a colourless gas which often smells like rotten eggs". Local resident Colin estimated that up to 40 trucks carrying hundreds of tonnes combined arrive at Withyhedge each day, with many coming from outside Pembrokeshire and even as far as England.
"The smell is worse at night," Colin revealed. "NRW told us it would be sorted by Christmas and the New Year and it wasn't. It makes people sick. It affects your skin and your breathing. It ruined Christmas for us - we were sitting here and we could smell it inside the house. Then, in February, we were given more assurances that it would be resolved soon, that work would be done and that we wouldn't be able to smell anything by April 5."
However, when these promises were not fulfilled, a large group of locals protested outside county hall in Haverfordwest on Wednesday this week to express their frustration.
"We're trying to put some pressure on people," Colin stated. "We want action and we're just waiting to see what happens next."
The quiet and peaceful village of Spittal (WalesOnline/ Rob Browne)The issue is more than just one of annoyance and inconvenience. Sue suffers with headaches and Colin is waiting to see a consultant because his skin "flares up" whenever he notices the smell around his home becoming particularly bad.
"It feels like an injustice because nothing is happening, and the annoying thing is that it's all to do with money," claimed Sue. Colin agreed: "The problem is these companies get fined but it's not a lot of money compared to the profit they can make from one of these sites."
"There's a sense of helplessness, really," said Sue. "We can't go outside, we can't sit in the garden, and it doesn't really matter if we leave our windows open or closed because the smell will still come into the house. People have told us to open the windows, but what's the point if you can't even put your washing out because of the smell! ".
Site operator RML said this week that it had been "endeavouring to eliminate odours from Withyhedge Landfill by carrying out engineering works required by a Regulation 36 Notice served on the company by NRW". It added: "The works required a large quantity of waste to be moved from the top of the landfill into the next cell followed by capping the top and sides of the remaining wastes as well as the installation of gas wells and collection pipework."
"Despite the very poor weather during the engineering works, the excavation, removal, capping and well installation works are complete and last week the gas abstraction system became active. Gasses from this part of the site are now being collected and over the next weeks the suction will finally collect the gases generated from this area. Recent surveys have confirmed the very limited escape of gases from this area."
In a subsequent statement, the company stated: "RML has repeatedly apologised unreservedly for this distress and has done everything within its power to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. RML has been collaborating with, and working closely with, NRW, Pembrokeshire County Council and other stakeholders to find and implement a permanent solution to this issue and has just completed the first phase of works which include the capping of cells 6 and 7 and the installation and commissioning of gas wells and gas collection network; this being the main reason for the odour. This work would have been completed sooner if not for the recent atrocious weather."
The company is set to kick off a new phase of work on Monday (April 15), which it anticipates will take roughly three weeks to wrap up. This effort, the firm asserts, "will result in a huge reduction in the risk of gas escape".
Regarding the reputation of the group managing the Withyhedge site, an RML spokesperson clarified: "Previous convictions of both Atlantic Recycling Ltd and Mr David Neal have also been well documented recently and while they have absolutely no bearing on RML or the recent events at Withyhedge, we would clarify that contrary to previous reports, these were guilty pleas for technical breaches of a permit, there was no dumping rubbish in a conservation area and no environmental harm caused. Further, any reports relayed through local residents purporting to come from people who work at Withyhedge are provocative and unverified, and not at all helpful to the community, or the efforts being made by the company to address the issues."
"The gas being released is predominately a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, commonly referred to as landfill gas. There are also many, smaller, trace gases, one of which is hydrogen sulphide, this is the gas which emits the distinctive rotten egg smell and while it is undoubtedly unpleasant, it is not harmful to health in the concentrations being exposed to."
"Atlantic Recycling do bring waste to the Withyhedge site as they are entitled to do. Not all of the trucks are carrying waste - they carry stone, clay and soil in huge quantities for the construction of future cells and site infrastructure. Not all of the waste comes from Cardiff, but from various customers along the M4 corridor and all the waste deposited at the site is non-hazardous, unrecyclable, commercial and industrial waste; no household waste from Pembrokeshire or any other county is deposited at Withyhedge. "
Natural Resources Wales, Public Health Wales, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Pembrokeshire Council have described this odour issue as a "complex and ever-changing situation". They empathise with the impact it's having on locals, stating: "all authorities acknowledge and empathise with the impact this prolonged odour issue is having on members of the communities that surround Withyhedge Landfill".
Following a joint-agency statement, these bodies shared that "NRW officers attended the site on Monday 8 April. It appears, from a visual assessment of the work undertaken on site, that the required capping work and gas well installation has been completed by site operators, RML, in line with the deadline of the S36 Enforcement Notice, issued by NRW on February 13."
"However, this can only be fully assessed by NRW once survey and construction validation reports have been submitted. The operator is now preparing these and once received, a formal assessment will be undertaken. The authorities will review the findings and revise their action plans where appropriate. Since the passing of the S36 Enforcement Notice deadline of Friday 5 April, and in response to continued high volumes of odour reports from the local community, NRW and PCC increased odour monitoring in residential areas last weekend and into this week. Other possible areas on site where odour may be coming from have been identified, and RML submitted plans to address these on 10 April, which are now being considered by NRW."
Spittal, despite its beauty, has been under an unbearable stench cloud for months. Locals are desperately hoping for resolutions that will let them enjoy open-air activities once again.
Yet, the smell persists, and it won't just be the aroma clinging on if it doesn't clear - the residents pressuring those in charge won't give up either.
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