Villagers' fury over huge 'eyesore' landfill site which has brought swarms of flies to invade their homes

Villagers have been left furious over a huge landfill site which has brought swarms of flies to invade their homes.Families living in Duckmanton, Derbyshire, have seen the 'eyesore' drastically increase in size and spread to the hillsides overlooking their properties.It has left them feeling like 'prisoners in their own homes', cowering from huge clouds of dust and legions of insects making it impossible to use their gardens. A 'completely unbearable' stench lingers over the picturesque village made worse by the recent hot and dry weather.Locals fed up with the project - which was due to shut five years ago but received permission to stay open until 2036 - also fear they will be unable to sell their homes.Some villagers have complained about the noisy machinery at the tip while others say their medical conditions, including asthma, have worsened as the site has expanded.Valencia - the company that runs the site - has recently received approval to start operations in a newly engineered landfill cell, prompting a slew of complaints sent to local councillors. One resident, Amy Jackson, said: 'The persistent stench, swarms of flies, dust, and relentless noise have turned our home into a place of discomfort rather than refuge. An ever-expanding landfill site in picturesque Duckmanton, Derbyshire which locals say has brought swarms of flies to invade their homes Fly catchers in a house near the landfill site. A 'completely unbearable' stench also lingers over the village Marie Norman, pictured, said the problem has made her asthma worse and left her feeling depressed'During the recent hot weather, we were unable to open our windows because the odour was so overpowering.'The mother-of-four added: 'What should be a safe and nurturing environment for my family has become a daily struggle.'My children have had to endure stifling heat indoors, unable to play outside without flies landing on their food, their faces, and their toys.'Ms Jackson said she has spent a 'significant' amount of money on fly traps, sticky tapes and other measures 'simply to keep the infestation at bay' - but flies continue to cause issues.Marie Norman, 54, said the problem has made her asthma worse and left her feeling depressed.She added: 'They've filled the holes to capacity but then don't cover them up so the rubbish has now risen all up the hillside.'It has got to be a health hazard. I have to use my inhaler much more often.'Due to breathing issues I can't have my windows closed but when they are open my house gets covered in dust.'The mother-of-four said she cannot even hang her washing outside due to the quantity of flies. Gary Berresford, 38, said killing flies has become a part of his daily morning routine, with traps getting filled up in a matter of days.The local, who lives 50 feet from the site, has invested in a Bug-A-Salt - a plastic gun, which shoots salt to kill flies.He added: 'Every morning a new batch of flies manage to find their way through the gaps in the windows into the house.'A part of my morning ritual every day is having my coffee and going around shooting flies for about 20 minutes.'Mr Berresford said the smell gets 'unbelievably bad' on hot and breezy days, adding: 'The original hole has been filled and there are more moved across the site. Now instead of filling a hole they are just adding to a hillside.'I don't see how they can safely contain the waste and smell now.'If they go much higher now than what they're doing, the first serious rain we get, all that is going to flood over onto the surrounding countryside.' The site has drastically increased in size and spread to the hillsides overlooking locals' properties Valencia - the company that runs the site - has recently received approval to start operations in a newly engineered landfill cell (Pictured: A digger working at the site) Gary Berresford, pictured, said killing flies has became a part of his daily morning routine, with traps getting filled up in a matter of daysThe issue is also blighting the lives of residents in neighbouring Long Duckmanton, located over a mile away from the landfill.Catherine McConologue said: 'Our cars are constantly covered in dust, the flies are horrendous, and the stench is absolutely awful.'With the flies comes the issue of maggots and that's really disgusting.'The mother-of-two worried the situation was becoming a 'risk to public health'.She added: 'If I was moving now, I wouldn't move here because of the landfill.'With the problems getting worse in the last few years, you have to wonder what it does to property prices because this is becoming a far more widely known issue.'Another resident, who did not want to be named, was forced to 'evacuate' from her house because she could not manage the horrendous smell.She said: 'I woke up at 2am Sunday morning to an alarm going off from the direction of the landfill.'I started gagging from the smell. I shut all the windows in the house even though it was hot, put the air purifier on, and the fan.'I was poorly all day Sunday. Monday morning I was violently stomach-wrenching from the smell, and I phoned my dad to come collect me.'Erin landfill opened at the former colliery site in the village in 1999, and was initially operated by Viridor before being taken over by Valencia.Cllr Mick Bagshaw said: 'Residents in Duckmanton and Poolsbrook deserve to enjoy their homes, gardens, and sunshine.'They shouldn't have to put up with smells, continuous purchases of expensive fly traps and sprays and having to throw away meals because flies land on them.'Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins has also received complaints about the landfill site.He said: 'I have heard from many local Duckmanton residents that during the current hot spell, the odours emitted from Erin Landfill have become unbearable, with residents saying they cannot open their windows in this extreme heat and have even been physically sick from the smell.'These reports are totally unacceptable, people should not have to live like this and if the landfill operators cannot address this smell, the regulator must step in and take action.'In the extreme heat being unable to open your windows is unthinkable, and so the operator must take this situation seriously, if it wants to maintain a licence to operate.'A spokesperson for Valencia said: 'We continue to operate the landfill site in accordance with our environmental permit and planning conditions, this includes ensuring that any dust and odour is controlled within the site.'During the recent heatwave we have increased our dust suppression efforts and will continue to monitor its effectiveness on a daily basis.'The Environment Agency regularly visit the site to inspect for evidence of flies and have not found an issue in recent weeks.'We have also increased our daily cover activity to further ensure that ageing waste is not able to cause unpleasant odour issues for residents.'We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that the landfill odour has caused. In recent days, Valencia has received approval to start operations in a newly engineered landfill cell. The project has left residents feeling like 'prisoners in their own homes', cowering from huge clouds of dust and legions of insects making it impossible to use their gardens Locals fed up with the project - which was due to shut five years ago but received permission to stay open until 2036 - also fear they will be unable to sell their homes'As part of this, stockpiled waste is being exposed before being tipped into the new cell. The team onsite have responded to the increase in odour by closing the site to waste deliveries, and increasing soil capping to reduce odours.'We anticipate that all waste will have been tipped, and covered in the coming days, with landfill gas infrastructure then extracting the gas. The Environment Agency are aware of the actions we have taken.'An Environment Agency spokesperson said: 'We are pressing the operator to take steps to mitigate recent odour issues at this site.'The situation is gradually improving and operations on site are now focused solely on resolving this issue.'Communities should not have to tolerate odours, and we understand the impact this can have.'We are inspecting the site regularly and if we do not see improvements, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action if required.'