Labour’s Angela Eagle, our Wallasey MP, has intervened to support Tate Triangle residents.

We can reveal that Angela has for some time been in correspondence at the highest level of Tate & Lyle management, nationally, on the vexed question of air quality in the residential area above Limekilne Lane, known locally as the Tate Triangle. 

Meanwhile Adrian and John can report on the local situation.

A questionnaire to residents has produced some clear interim results.  After years of appalling smells, some of which Tate & Lyle managers have readily admitted were attributable to activity on their site, there had been hopes that the managers would agree to meet residents collectively to hear direct from them what their concerns were; to listen to the people, and give hope of improvement. But the (local) managers declined, offering instead to provide ‘guided tours’ of the works for small groups of ‘not more than six’.  Guided tours for small numbers are not at all unwelcome, but there is widespread doubt that they would be relevant to the difficulty residents face.  What residents called for was an opportunity to give first hand accounts to the managers in an open meeting where all can participate.

Nobody has suggested that the company is the only source of the ‘miasma’ – quite the opposite. Very much to their credit Tate & Lyle managers have ’put their hands up’, to use their own term, and admitted that a number of unpleasant incidents were, indeed, attributable to activity at the works.  But they insist there are other sources, too, and they are quite understandably anxious that not all the smells should be attributed to one source.   That is not in question; we fully agree.  

It would certainly be of no benefit to anybody if one company were to be made a scapegoat for smells from a number of unrelated sources.  Quite apart from its obvious unfairness that could result in other sources being overlooked and not being traced.  But, for the residents, the issue is perfectly clear: they don’t want to know where the smells aren’t  coming from, they want to know where they are coming from so that the sources, whatever they are, can be dealt with.

• 95.5% of residents returning the questionnaire said they would not volunteer to go on ‘guided tours’ of six or fewer. 
• 90.5% said they still wanted an open meeting with managers. 
• Over 95% said they wanted ‘practical solutions’ to minimise the smells. 
• 85% said they do not believe that many of the smells come from other sources.
• 89% said that the system of phoning to report smells was not effective.

But – a word of caution – however clearly and robustly these views may be expressed numerically they remain subjective, even if they are attributed to a great majority.  What comes across in conversation with residents time and again is:

“Why can’t there be some independent scientific monitoring of the area to find out the truth?”

Objective evidence is what residents want so that real measures can be taken to eradicate the worst of the smells.  Some comments from residents are so strongly phrased that we hesitate to publish them; but reproduced below are just a few of the (more moderate), unabridged, comments just as they were written:

“We have lived here in ………………… for 40 years.  The smell is so disgusting not only in the day but at night when your in bed it makes us feelsick in all the years we’ve lived here when the Docks were busy never ever has there been a smell like this windows have to be closed cant put washing out.”

“The smells do not do anything for the area.  I own my own house and it is not the best thing if I wanted to sell.  The smells hang around for days, they make you feel sick you can’t open windows or sit outside on a nice day.  They do not have to live with the smells.  It was in the paper the other day about smells in Heswall I think, but we have had this for years it needs to be sorted out and I want to no what - – - -  – - – - -  are going to do about it.”

“Can not have windows open when smells are around, what ever it is causing the smells has given me stuffy nose and chest problems that I did not have when I moved here from ……………………. “

“The smell makes you sick you can’t sit in the garden or have you windows open or door it goes through the house you have to bring your washing in when the smell is arround it give you headaks.”

“The smells seem to be very fishy smells.  They also seem to come on a regular time of the month.  When it is raining or very hot weather, the smells are very bad and come into my home.  I think this is an important isue, and one the should be dealt with imedieatly.  I’m not sure if all of the smells are from Tate & Lyle being that they are very fishy smell.”

“I cannot open my windows because the smell is nauseating.  The smell lingers, I’d like to know if there is a danger to health, am I breathing in chemicals.”

“The smell is very strong it makes you sick and gives you headaches.  You have to close all your windows and doors in the summer days.  And bring your washing in.”

This is an interim analysis; more questionnaire returns are coming in.  These will be added to the final figures althoughwe do not imagine that there will be much variance from views so overwhelming as have been received already.

Watch this space for further developments.