'Horrendous' stench as manure heap burns for days

A pile of poultry manure that has been burning for almost two weeks has caused a "horrendous" stench in parts of Norwich and villages, a resident said.

The muck heap on East Farm, near Newton St Faith, north of the city, has smouldered since 19 September.

The site's owners said they were using "every practical resource available" to bring the fire under control, including efforts to redirect irrigation systems.

Dan Roper, a Liberal Democrat who represents the village on Broadland District Council, said: "It is a huge inconvenience to residents - the only respite has been when the wind changes."

The smell has been detected within a radius of at least fives miles (8km), including at Hevingham, Sprowston and Old Catton, on the outskirts of the city.

A woman local to the farm, who gave her name as Derry, said the manure heap had been "three times as big as it usually is".

"The stench and smell has been horrendous here, to the point where I do not want to go outside," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The fire service was called to East Farm at 16:10 BST on 19 September and was on site for three hours. It said it had ruled out arson, with the incident treated as a "controlled burn" following accidental ignition.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was working closely with the farm operator and Broadland District Council to monitor progress and ensure appropriate action was taken.

"We appreciate that residents will be concerned about the impacts of the manure heap fire," they added.

"The farm operator is working closely with Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service and following their advice.

"Once it is safe to do so, the remaining material will be removed from the site."

East Farm is run by Green Label Poultry Ltd, which is based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, and is an entity of Gressingham Foods.

Defra said it had discussions with the company in July, following concerns about the manure heap.

It was agreed that the heap could remain in place until September, as disturbing it during the hot summer weather had the potential to increase odour and flies, it added.

Broadland District Council said it received complaints from residents last month and a community protection officer was working with the farm to tackle the issue.

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