The Environment Agency has confirmed that it is continuing to monitor potential breaches of the A County Durham quarry's environmental permit.

Residents in villages close to the Newton Aycliffe site have been plagued by a "noxious smell" for nearly a year now and have expressed their anger at the ongoing situation.

Speaking to The Norther Echo, the Environment Agency has offered its sympathy for the "unpleasant" odours and says it will "consider" appropriate enforcement action if it is necessary.

The Ashcourt Group, which runs the controversial Newton Aycliffe Quarry landfill, insists that the cause of the smell is not from its site.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We understand how unpleasant the odours are for the community, and we’re committed to ensuring the necessary action is taken to resolve the issues.

"The landfill continues to actively implement key measures to reduce gas emissions, including completing additional capping works and installing further gas extraction wells.

"We continue to assess the site regularly and an investigation into any breaches of the site’s environmental permit is ongoing.

"We will consider appropriate enforcement action if necessary.”

A spokesperson from the Ashcourt Group said it had carried out work on the site to the satisfaction of the Environment Agency.

The spokesperson said: "In the Environment Agency (EA) Briefing of 08 August 2024 it states the works which have been undertaken to re-profile and cap off the steep sided flanks of cells 2, 3 and 4 are complete and that the EA are satisfied that these works have been successful.

"By way of additional background, in May 2021 the EA requested that permanent capping is undertaken on Cells 2 and 3.  This was not progressed by the previous owners.

"In 2022, despite the EA recording the lack of progress with capping in cells 2 and 3 as a non-compliance and requesting a formal action plan to progress, this work was still not progressed by the previous owners.

"Following the change of ownership in 2023 this work is now being undertaken, by the current owners, on the plateau of Cells 2 and 3 with an area of 50,000 square metres now being permanently capped. 

"There have been odour reports in the area but we are confident that the cause of these odours is not Aycliffe Quarry.  As the EA state in the briefing note they are assessing other sites in relation to the odours being detected."