Hedon Blog launches Petition against the Saltend Smells

THE HEDON BLOG has taken the unusual step of launching a petition to help galvanise local action against the foul odours, from Yorkshire Water's Waste Water Treatment Works. The persistent stink has been making local residents life almost unbearable during the whole of July 2011.

The Blog usually tries to take a neutral position on most matters, but on this occasion has felt compelled to act as a local mouthpiece. Ray Duffill the website Editor explains:

"The smells from the Saltend site have become unbearable during the last 5 weeks. Comments on the Blog, on Fix My Street and on Facebook have shown the disgust and revulsion of local residents. Anecdotal evidence from local people reveals that people have been physically sick from the stench, and local asthma sufferers have experienced breathing difficulties. While the area has basked in glorious sunshine and heat, residents have been forced to close windows and abandon their gardens because of the stink." 

Ray continued: "At the presentation about the waste water site I attended in May, Neil Dewis, Yorkshire Water's Manager of Central Control and Optimisation, apologised for his company's 'no-smell' claims made prior to the site being built in 2000. It was "obviously wrong of the company to have made those claims" stated Mr Dewis who then want on to explain that the new £3.5m odour control unit - which he hoped would be operational by November, rather than December as originally scheduled - would see a "significant reduction" in odours but he could "not give a guarantee" that odours would be completely eliminated."

"Whilst people living and working in the proximity of the site continue to experience the impacts and effects of the Treatment Works, they need some recourse to force Yorkshire Water to act to reduce incidents. The petition calls upon local councils to treat the odours as a 'statutory nuisance'. If a statutory nuisance exists in your area then legal action can be taken to force the 'polluter' to act. Failure to act can be a criminal offence."

"The Treatment Works do carry out an essential service. Local councillors, officials and community leaders are willing to work with Yorkshire Water to improve things - and have been doing so for 11 years. But at the moment local people and communities are powerless to act. However, if the smells from the site are deemed a statutory nuisance then we can start to fight back and force improvements!"

Residents are asked to sign and share the online petition on the Hedon Blog and reproduced below. *Note: Please do not sign if you have already signed a paper copy.