WORKERS are reporting "unbearable" conditions as they cope with horrendous smells and fly infestations, which they believe to be coming from a waste processing site in Barrow.

The Environment Agency has received complaints against the Shanks mechanical biological treatment plant in Barrow once again.

The plant was temporarily forced to stop processing waste in August 2013, after neighbouring businesses in the Sowerby Woods industrial estate raised health concerns about terrible odours.

Now, workers have spoken out after the same smell and insects returned to their offices.

'Ready to walk out'

Phil Watts, contracts manager at Burlington Aggregates, said staff at the industrial estate were struggling with the smell, which could be being exacerbated by the recent hot weather.

He said: "We are getting it again [the warm weather] and now we also getting a really nasty odour.

"People were ready to walk out of the office. They found it unbearable.

"Shanks own the facility. We went across and all they keep saying is they are doing everything they can.

"We have been reporting it to the environment people."

Back in 2013, the Environment Agency briefly suspended the plant's licence, making it unable to process waste from Barrow, South Lakeland and Eden while the site was disinfected.

Again, in April 2015, operations closed while an investigation into "non-compliance" was carried out.

Shanks response

A spokesperson for Shanks said: "We are in regular contact with community members around our site at Sowerby Woods industrial estate in Barrow.

"We were contacted by a neighbour who expressed concern about flies and odours, which they believed were coming from our site, which we investigated immediately.

"We are working in accordance with fly and odour management plans approved by the Environment Agency and are also working closely with the Environment Agency to implement further improvements at the site, which diverts more than 99 per cent of waste from landfill."

The MBT plant is operated and controlled by Shanks Waste Management Ltd on behalf of Cumbria County Council, as part of a 25-year waste management contract worth £700m. It can process 75,000 tonnes of waste every year.

Environment Agency response

The Environment Agency confirmed they had received fresh complaints and was looking into the issue.

A statement said: "The Environment Agency is actively regulating Shanks at the Sowerby Woods Plant.

"We are aware of residents and businesses concerns and these have led to the company investing in new equipment and ways of operating to reduce odour and fly impacts.

"Shanks are also looking at further improvements and detailed proposals are due to be completed by the end of August.

"It's important that anyone who spots pollution reports it to our free incident hotline on 0800 807060, this will help us protect and prevent harm to the local environment."

Timeline of problems

June 2013 - Anger at Barrow waste plant’s plague of flies

July 2013 - Angry Barrow office workers despair of flies plague

July 2013 - Protest causes a stink at Barrow waste plant over smell and flies misery

August 2013 - Barrow waste plant bosses pledge fly plague problem won’t return

August 2013 - Barrow waste plant licence suspended

August 2013 - Restrictions dropped at Barrow plant behind plague of flies outbreak

September 2014 - Neighbours complain over return of Barrow waste plant odour

April 2015 - Troubled Barrow waste plant is closed as green watchdog investigates