'It could be making us ill' - Kirkby residents plagued by smell so strong it 'burns your eyes and your nose'

Parents in one part of Merseyside have described the area as a ‘toxic zone’ which is making their children ‘feel sick’. According to local residents, their homes have been clouded in a ‘rotten egg’ and ‘sewer’ smell for much of the last year and they are increasingly worried about the potential health implications.

The Simonswood Industrial Estate has been the subject of numerous complaints over the last 12 months due to the levels of dust and dirt emanating from the site. The LDRS reported on a ‘mysterious rotten egg smell’ in Kirkby last year as local residents became frustrated about the air quality issues affecting their neighbourhoods.

The reports included testimony from father-of-two, Neil Dunne – a member of the Simonswood Action Campaign Group (SACG) – who felt ‘trapped’ inside his house because the area continually smelled of ‘rotting flesh’.

Asked previously to describe the odour, Mr Dunne said: “It feels like we are living in a toxic zone where our health is being put at risk.”

The LDRS were contacted again on Thursday (February 13) by another Kirkby resident. Jade is a young mum who is worried about the smell and the potential impact it might be having on her young children. Jade said: “I’m concerned, to be honest with you, it could be making us ill and I don’t know if there are any long term effects.

“Sometimes the children start saying to me ‘mummy, I’ll feel sick. I think it’s that smell’. So even the kids are getting onto it.”

Asked to describe the smell, Jade added: “It’s like a sewer smell and it gets so strong. For example, I’ve just opened my back doors before and it’s just hit me right in the face. It burns your eyes and your nose.

“It’s that strong and it lingers – it could be a couple of minutes to a couple of hours or day.”

Jade said she has contacted the Environment Agency on numerous occasions and knows other local residents who have also reported the smell, she added: “But nobody’s receiving any feedback to say that anything’s being done about it, or even if they’re working on it.”

Just last month, the LDRS reported on a retrospective planning application to allow waste to be stored on the site – it was refused for a second time. The site actually falls under the jurisdiction of Lancashire County Council, but Knowsley Council have submitted numerous reports on behalf of their constituents as the smell drifts over the border into Kirkby.

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Cllr Tony Brennan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development and Shevington Ward Member said: “We are continuing to call on […] the Environment Agency […] to act and resolve this matter. I can say for certain that if Knowsley Council had enforcement powers over this site, we would not be tolerating these ongoing and serious issues.

“It is incredibly frustrating that we have been highlighting our concerns about this estate to the regulatory authorities for many years but have seen little action. The impact that this estate is having on our residents cannot be underestimated, and yet, not only are we seeing little to no enforcement action taken, we’re also having to fight to prevent further problematic activity being allowed on site.”

In relation to the industrial site, the Environment Agency previously confirmed they have carried out 12 months monitoring of air quality due to concerns about dust, but said: “No dust issues have been substantiated in relation to this site.”

The LDRS has contacted the Environment Agency and Liverpool World has contacted Lancashire County Council for comment in relation to the latest reports.