And They Say It Wont Smell

Responding to a meeting with the Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn MP, to discuss the continuing stench emanating from the Waste Water Treatment Plant at Saltend, local MP, Graham Stuart, said:

“We told the Secretary of State just how awful, persistant and unacceptable the smells are from the Yorkshire Water treatment plant. We told him of Yorkshire Water’s broken promises and asked for his support in tackling this environmental menace. My constituents have put up with too much for too long. Every year Yorkshire Water promises changes to tackle the problem and every year the homes and journeys and lives of thousands of local people are polluted and poisoned by foul smells.

“We asked that the Secretary of State write on our behalf immediately to Yorkshire Water and following the powerful presentations from each member of the team he agreed to do so. I hope this pressure from the highest level of Government may be enough to persuade Yorkshire Water to get its act together and sort out the problem once and for all.”

The meeting took place in Hilary Benn’s office at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Present at the meeting: Hilary Benn MP, Graham Stuart MP, Steve Wood, Chairman of Preston Parish Council, Cllr Ann Suggit, Cllr Peter Turner and Cllr Jane Evison (ERYC)



Local MP takes Water Treatment Plant complaints to the top

2nd August, 2007



Local MP, Graham Stuart, has written to the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Hilary Benn MP, requesting a meeting to discuss the Hull Waste Water Treatment Plant.



Residents living in the Hedon and Preston area are still finding the smells from the Yorkshire Water treatment plant at Saltend unbearable and, together with Councillors, have asked that the local MP raise the problem in Parliament.



Graham’s request for a meeting follows a full Council meeting, where members of East Riding Council were asked to take urgent action to find a solution to the “ongoing horrendous odour problems”. The motion, which was carried unanimously, stated that the “obnoxious stench still remains a daily problem”.



Graham said: “I’m determined to get this message across to Ministers and deal with the issue once and for all. Promises were made in 2000 by representatives of Yorkshire Water that it would be odour free, yet day after day, the battle to get rid of the stench continues. It is now time for Ministers to put pressure on Yorkshire Water to ensure that the people of South-West Holderness do not have to put up with the foul smell any longer.”

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council Motion reads:

27th June 2007

Yorkshire Water Sewage Plant - Moved by Councillor Suggit, seconded by Councillor Burton


Resolved - (a) That in view of the fact that at a meeting in October 2006 the Chief Executive of Yorkshire Water, gave assurances that by summer 2007 no further major problems would occur and if it did still exist Yorkshire Water would need to rethink the design and solutions to the problem and eight months later the obnoxious stench still remains a daily problem and we are totally sick of promises which do nothing for this area, the Council takes positive action urgently to find a solution to the ongoing horrendous odour problems which do nothing for the quality of life for residents of South West Holderness;

(b) that officers arrange a further meeting as soon as possible between the Chief Executive of Yorkshire Water, ward councillors, and other appropriate councillors and officers to express the Council’s continuing concern at the noxious smells from the Hull Waste Water Treatment Works at Saltend, and

(c) that this Council asks the MP for the area to pursue this issue at national level to ensure that the appropriate measures are in place to control the design and operation of this and similar plants in the future.