TAKE ACTION ON ADVANCED PROTEINS

SMELLS, SPILLAGES & DRAIN POLLUTION
We shouldn’t be forced to stay inside our own homes, worry about the effect on tourism and house values, dodge hazardous spills, or be kept in the dark by our elected representatives.
For too long, our village has been blanketed by an unacceptable, overpowering stench from the Advanced Proteins rendering plant. Not only are we trapped indoors by the factory smell, but our local roads are being polluted by foul-smelling, leaking transport wagons and trailers travelling to and from the site. Worse still, there are serious concerns regarding the washing of toxic waste and contaminated wash-water straight into local surface water drains. This problem is not just confined to Cheddleton (Staffordshire Moorlands) but has spread to Leek, Werrington, Cheadle, Kingsley and beyond. The spillage and transport smells even wider.
Despite these ongoing problems, the Parish Council, County Council and our local MP—who sit on the forum known as Advanced Proteins Liaison - have failed to challenge the company forcefully or keep local residents transparently informed.
We are launching a formal petition to demand that the authorities step in, enforce strict legal controls, both at the rendering plant and on our highways, and hold both the operators and our silent representatives fully accountable.
If you are sick of the smell, horrified by the roadside spillages, and want an end to the wall of silence, please sign the petition.

To: Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Staffordshire County Council, The Environment Agency, Cheddleton Parish Council, and the Local Member of Parliament
Statement of Petition:
We, the undersigned residents and community members, formally lodge this petition regarding the persistent odour nuisance, highway hazards, and severe environmental pollution risks caused by the Advanced Proteins rendering plant in Cheddleton and its associated transport network. Furthermore, we register our formal vote of no confidence in the facility's Liaison Forum, including the Parish Council and our local MP, who have repeatedly failed to proactively inform residents or robustly challenge the company regarding its operational failures. The ongoing refusal to mitigate plant emissions and transport spillages is directly eroding our health, local biosecurity, and our legal right to a safe environment.
The Impact on Our Community:

• Loss of Home Amenity: Residents are routinely trapped indoors with windows shut tight, unable to use gardens or host outdoor family activities due to the nauseating smell.
• Transport Nuisance & Hazards: Heavy transport trailers carrying animal by-products frequently emit overpowering odours through the village. Liquid and material spillages from unsealed or poorly managed wagons are regularly left on public roads.
• Drainage and Water Pollution: There is ongoing concern regarding the inadequate containment of wash-water, where toxic waste, chemical detergents, and animal residue are washed into surface water drains, bypassing proper trade effluent treatment.
• Failure of Representation: The Liaison Forum has become an insulated talking shop rather than a mechanism for accountability. Residents are left uninformed about meeting outcomes, and elected representatives are failing to advocate for their constituents' well-being.

Our Demands:

1. Immediate Environment Agency Audit: An urgent, comprehensive inspection of Advanced Proteins' odour abatement machinery and a full forensic audit of their site drainage system to ensure zero unauthorised discharge into surface water drains.
2. Strict Transport & Wash-Down Enforcement: That Staffordshire County Council and Trading Standards actively monitor transport operators, ensuring that vehicle wash-downs are conducted strictly in designated foul-sewer areas and never rinsed into public road drains.
3. Enforcement of Abatement Notices: That Staffordshire Moorlands District Council issues or strictly enforces a Statutory Odour Nuisance Abatement Notice to legally mandate a permanent fix for factory emissions.
4. Liaison Forum Transparency and Accountability: We demand that the Parish Council and local MP open the Liaison Forum minutes to the public, issue monthly update briefs to residents, and formally challenge Advanced Proteins with legal enforcement measures rather than informal agreements.