A new move in odour reporting has been welcomed by the Fresh AIR for Penrith campaign.
The Environment Agency has been piloting an online incidents reporting system.
This pilot has included the Penrith area. Now, it is being rolled out nationally.
Those wishing to report an odour environmental incident can now either phone the agency’s designated 24/7 hotline free on 0800 80 70 60 or, go to www.gov.uk/report-smell
This is a 24-hours-a-day online service which can be accessed through mobile phones, laptops or computers.
“This will allow people, including those not too keen to use a direct phone line, access to the EA’s reporting system. Some may find it easier, and more convenient, than making a phone call,” said Jeff Thomson, of the Fresh AIR for Penrith campaign.
He believes the added reporting method will contribute significantly to helping identify the source, and a solution, to Penrith’s long running odour pollution problem, widely known as the Penrith ‘pong’.
Over the last few years there have been more than 1,000 odour complaints annually to the EA from the Penrith area via the 0800 80 70 60 number.
“The online system will allow fuller details to be submitted by complainants.
“Hopefully, this will give more information to the EA to allow them to investigate, and take any necessary action, based on much more detailed intelligence,” said Mr Thomson.
He has regular meetings with the EA and other regulatory bodies plus MPs — first Dr Neil Hudson MP and now Markus Campbell Savours MP — and says the move follows many months of campaigning to ‘open up’ the reporting system to a wider range of people.
“It’s all about making reporting accessible to a wider and fuller range of residents and others who smell, and want to report, odour nuisance,” said Mr Thomson.
Markus Campbell-Savours, MP for Penrith and Solway, said: “Jeff Thomson has worked hard for a number of years to ensure local residents know the best ways to raise concerns of odour nuisance issues in Penrith.
“The new online reporting tool was one of the first things I discussed with the Environment Agency following my election in July last year, I hope this helps the authorities build a clearer picture of the impact the issue has in Penrith.”
