The fine was imposed at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court last Friday after Shanks pleaded guilty to a case brought by the Environment Agency. The maximum fine could have been 80,000 but the court took into account some mitigating circumstances. Shanks has spent 2 million to remedy the situation.
The company pleaded guilty to treating, keeping and disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health at the Newton Longville Landfill Site, Bletchley Road, Newton Longville, Buckinghamshire between 1 January 2001 and 1 February 2001.
The company also pleaded guilty to contravening the conditions of a Waste Management Licence in that there was a failure to collect leachate in bunded lagoons as required or at all at a site at Bletchley Road, Newton Longville, Buckinghamshire on days between 1 January 2001 and 1 February 2001. The offence also occurred on days between 4 March 2001 and 30 June 2001.
Eggs
The Court heard that on 7 January 2001 a Bletchley resident first noticed a foul smell in the air. The resident left his house the following day and the smell, described as “sour gas” had grown worse, making the man feel physically ill. Others noticed the stench of rotten eggs throughout the day, and staff at nearby businesses complained of drowsiness, sore eyes and sore throats.
The smell was so overpowering that some staff were sent home and Transco were called to investigate. The company found no gas leak, as this was thought to be the cause of the smell. As a consequence of many complaints being received by the Agency, an investigation was undertaken.
Leachate
On 9 January 2001, an Agency officer noted a strong smell of landfill gas north of the Newton Longville Landfill Site and an inspection immediately took place. Large quantities of uncontrolled leachate (a liquid generated by the breakdown of the wastes within a landfill site) were seen on site along with a strong smell of landfill gas, with a distinctive odour of rotten eggs. Gas could even be seen bubbling through the leachate. A similar picture was observed throughout the Agency’s site inspection, including areas where the cover cap over the waste was perforated with holes of up to four inches in diameter with gas bubbling through the holes.
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