Locals living next to ‘worst landfill in Wales’ barricading windows against toxic cloud

Wales is known for its natural beauty, endless valleys punctuated by waterfalls and grazing sheep in fields of daffodils.

But people living next to an enormous landfill fear becoming the ‘stinkiest town in the country’ after an acrid cloud descended on their once idyllic market settlement.

Horses won’t drink from the wells with locals forced to barricade their windows and doors thanks to the cloud of methane permeating every day life in Llanidloes, poised in the lush valleys of Powys.

The town was hailed as one of the best places to live in Wales until the mountain of food waste, clothing and plastics at Bryn Posteg threatened to spill over.

Lisa Stephens, 53, who has lived in Llanidloes her entire life, says the townsfolk have had enough.

She told The Daily Mail: ‘The site has been here as long as I have been alive but it was just a dump when it started. Now it’s emitting smells which are acrid and offensive. 

‘It’s worse when it’s cold. It gets you in the back of the throat. The smell floats down the valley and seeps because it’s on high land. People can smell it five miles away. It permeates the whole community. 

‘I’m under half a mile from the site of the landfill and I’ve got animals on my land and I’ve got two wells. Back in the 1980s when the site was put in, they made sure that everyone here was put on mains water. 

‘None of my animals will touch the water from the well – not the horses, not the sheep. They won’t go near it. 

‘We want the site to be properly managed by the people who have benefited from it for so many years. We don’t want to wake up to stinky houses every day and a stinky town because we’ve got such a lovely community here – but we’re going to be the stinkiest town in Wales if we’re not careful.’

Despite tipping at the site being forced to stop in September in a bid to have it closed completely by July the horrific smell lingers.

Llanidloes Town Councillor Eleanor Manning, 31, says she and others feel ignored, and have decided to speak out following years of frustration. 

‘The landfill has been a constant presence in my life for as long as I can remember,’ she tells the Daily Mail. ‘When the stench is bad, it is impossible to escape. 

‘It’s like rotten eggs or burning rubber. It seeps into your home and lingers. I have had countless days cut short or completely ruined by it. I can’t open my windows, sit in the garden or walk around the local area. Occasionally it’s bad enough to wake you up from a sleep. 

‘This area of Wales is wonderful and we want to be proud of it, but with this constant impact it is hard to be. 

Locals are accusing Sundorne Products (Llanidroes) Limited, the company operating the site, of neglect.

The company has already accepted an £80,000 fine for polluting the Nant-Y-Bradnant river in 2011. And last year, Sundorne was hit with a £100,000 fine for failing to protect its workers and the public from risk of injury.

Last year, methane levels 84 per cent above the limit were recorded at the site. 

‘Some of us can’t open our windows anymore. We feel trapped in our homes,’ Xander Ashwell, who has set up a petition demanding action against the site, says. 

‘When you drive past the site you can taste it. It’s really oppressive and it’s been responsible for people getting migraines. It’s a horrible thing.’

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the body overseeing the site, have described it as the ‘worst performing landfill in Wales’. 

NRW told the Daily Mail: ‘We are aware of an increase in odour complaints and pollution concerns from the public relating to Bryn Posteg landfill, Llanidloes.

‘While waste is no longer being accepted at the site, there is currently significant activity on site as the operator undertakes capping works. These works can disturb existing waste and release pockets of odour.

‘We are conducting site visits and are in regular contact with the operator to ensure that all works are undertaken in line with the requirements of the site’s environmental permit and in a manner that minimises any impact on the environment.

‘Where any breaches of the permit are identified, enforcement action will be considered in line with our enforcement and sanction policy.’

A spokesman from Sundorne refused to comment when approached by Metro.

Sign the ‘Save Llanidloes’ petition here. 

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