The owner of a landfill site at the centre of complaints over strong odours has dropped an appeal against a council order.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council served a statutory nuisance abatement notice on Walleys Quarry Limited, based in Silverdale, Staffordshire, in 2021.

The site emitted hydrogen sulphide, a smelly and noxious gas which at times had been found to exceed guidelines.

Both sides say they have reached an out-of-court agreement over the order.

It means the notice remains in place and the firm has agreed to pay £400,000 towards the council’s costs and £60,000 towards ongoing monitoring of the site, the local authority says.

Walleys Quarry Limited (WQL) conceded the site led to community complaints but added the council acknowledged improvements to operations had been made.

The firm’s work to cut emissions includes capping parts of the site and capturing more of the gases released from waste.

The area has been at the centre of residents’ objections over odours for several years, with complaints – in their tens of thousands, and citing issues including breathing difficulties and sleeplessness – spiking from early 2021.

Both sides claimed emissions from the site had “reduced significantly” in recent months.