Councillor confirm ending of contract at Whinney Hill Tip

SUEZ Recycling and Recovery operate the Whinney Hill Landfill Site in Altham and has been the subject of repeated complaints and previously took rubbish across Lancashire under a contract with the county council.

The previous Conservative-led council had agreed to continue using the site until March 2026 to give 12 months extra breathing space for Burnley, Rossendale, Hyndburn and Pendle councils to sort out their waste disposal. 

This decision has now been confirmed, and the Reform-led council has indicated that no further extensions will be given should the authorities not be able to find other arrangements.

Plans are for the waste to be redirected to Farington Waste Recovery Park when the contract expires in March next year.

While the landfill side of the site will no longer serve Lancashire residents, the council has ensured that personal waste disposal will remain in place.

Newly elected councillor Jordan Fox made the problem one of his top priorities when campaigning in April.

Cllr Jordan Fox and Cllr Lance Parkinson (Image: Jordan Fox) Cllr Fox said: “It was unfair that Hyndburn was expected to be the dumping ground for East Lancashire.

“It is really good to be able to stand up to Hyndburn residents and to show that we are not a protest party and we are here to bring change, and we will do something.

“We are hoping the seagulls move away and the other issues go away as well over time.

“Obviously, we are not expecting results overnight, but we hope that as household waste moves away from the landfill that the seagulls and all the rest of the issues that were caused move away from Hyndburn.”

Last summer, residents posted pictures and videos on social media of seagulls swarming around the site, with some comparing the scenes to “something from a horror movie".

Altham's Whinney Hill tip 'like horror film' as bird swarm (Image: Gary Hough) READ MORE: Call to close tip while health hazard sorted after gull and stench complaints

READ MORE: Protest planned as residents ‘tipped over the edge’ by seagulls at landfill

The birds defecated on the property and dropped items such as bones from food waste in gardens.

There have also been complaints about smells, rats and flies.

In April, protestors rallied against the tip with around 30 people, including councillors, descending on Church Lane in Clayton-le-Moors for the Tipped Over the Edge protest.

Whilst the site will no longer be used by Lancashire, it is owned by SUEZ, and therefore can still take waste from other parts of the country.