Regulator to decide whether waste group that gave £200k to Vaughan Gething can resume dumping at ‘noxious’ site

Martin Shipton

The regulator Natural Resources Wales is to review a report on work carried out at a controversial landfill site before deciding whether it can resume accepting waste.

Neighbours of the Withyhedge site near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire have complained since last year about noxious smells emanating from it.

The site is run by Resources Management UK Ltd (RML), part of the same waste group that donated £200,000 to the Welsh Labour leadership campaign of former First Minister Vaughan Gething – one of the scandals that led to his resignation.

Its director David Neal received two suspended prison sentences for dumping toxic sludge in the Gwent Levels protected landscape. reviews engineering report on new Withyhedge Landfill cell construction

In June the investigative Channel 4 series Dispatches revealed that Mr Neal’s group was under investigation by the tax authorities for “mischaracterising” waste so that it attracted a much lower level of landfill tax.

Engineering standards

Now Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has said that RML will only be able to accept waste into a newly constructed cell at Withhedge once it is satisfied that the cell base has been constructed to the necessary engineering standards.

NRW says it is carrying out a thorough review of a Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) validation report received from RML, which is seeking final approval to accept waste in the newly constructed cell.

While the site remains under investigation by NRW, the construction of Cell 9 was authorised by the current environmental permit. The CQA report relates to Cell 9A – one of three sub-cells within Cell 9 which RML says is now ready to accept waste.

The submission of the CQA validation report is a critical requirement under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR). NRW said it should provide the evidence to demonstrate that the base of the new landfill cell has been constructed and engineered in accordance with the approved design and specifications to prevent pollution of the land and groundwater underneath.

No waste disposal can begin in Cell 9A until NRW has reviewed the report, and confirmed it is satisfied that the construction was undertaken in accordance with the approved design and specification.

Procedures

In addition to the engineering works for the new cells, NRW has also requested from RML updated procedures and plans covering the operation of Cell 9. The effective management of Cell 9 is fundamental to ensuring that activities at the landfill do not cause further odour problems. NRW will maintain a constant review of all the regulatory tools available to the organisation.

Caroline Drayton, Operations Manager for South West, NRW, said: “We realise there will be some public unease at the prospect of Withyhedge Landfill once again accepting waste, but I want to provide reassurance that, in addition to the rigorous assessment of the construction quality assurance for the new cell, we continue to focus on ensuring that the operator implements further improvements at Withyhedge Landfill to minimise the opportunity for any future emissions and off-site odours.”

The review of the CQA validation report will take several weeks. Upon completion, NRW will notify the site operator of its conclusion.

NRW says it maintains its regulatory presence on site to ensure RML continues to drive the improvements needed to the gas management system, and to ensure they demonstrate that they are effectively managing the landfill gas from their operations.

Investigations relating to Withyhedge Landfill are ongoing. Only when that process is completed can NRW determine if charges should be brought for any offence relating to breaches of their environmental permit conditions.