ONGOING works to restore a former landfill site has seen a nearby road “decimated” and locals fearing for the health of their families from dust whipped up like a “Sahara sandstorm”, it has been claimed.
Resident Lucy Jones said Hollybush Lane in Denham has been so chewed up by HGVs she claimed are frequenting a nearby landfill, there are now knee-deep potholes and dust levels ‘causing people to fear for the health of their children’.
RESIDENT: “There has been flooding from all the blocked drainage"
She claimed measures to dampen roads in the summer were not taken and blocked drains from debris had seen flooding during winter.
READ MORE: ‘Council to blame over toxic landfill causing respiratory disorders in children’
Mrs Jones also claimed she knew neighbours whose vehicles had been damaged by potholes hammered out by persistent lorry trips, adding her own tyres had blown three times in a year.
She claimed despite contact with Bucks Council and O’Malley Haulage, nothing had been done and that she felt operations should be shut down on ‘safety’ grounds.
Hollybush Lane landfill site
In July 2017, a Mr N. Connolly was given three years and six months (January 13, 2021) to restore a 45-hectare plot near Hollybush Lane to agricultural land.
The area was expelling leachate (water percolated through soil) and gases harmful to the environment and of ‘risk to human health’, following an earlier restoration 65 years ago.
In December 2020, Mr Connolly requested from Bucks Council an extension on the time limit until October 31, 2022.
At the time, the job required hundreds of HGV movements of imported “fill” a week.
Mrs Jones said: “My understanding is, the extension application to the landfill is behind my property.”
READ MORE: Children's play centre and next-door gym SOLD for ‘future regeneration’
‘A Sahara sandstorm’
“The dust in summer is so thick you can’t open the windows and we are frightened for our children’s health,” said Mrs Jones. “There is no dusting down with water in summer at all. [It is] literally like a Sahara sandstorm.
PICTURED: One resident pictured standing in a knee-deep hole
“[Our] windowsills get thick with silt and the cars get covered in dust. Several residents talk of busted tyres from all the potholes. I have had three new tyres in the last 12 months.
“An O’Malley digger worker admitted they should be using a water bowser for the dust and said he felt sorry for residents. Despite contacting O’Malley Haulage several times, no response is given. The lack of care for human health and safety is so shocking.
“In winter there has been flooding from all the blocked drainage due to the dust and debris left by the trucks.”
Mrs Jones added she feared a “serious accident” might occur, given the “excessive speeds” she claimed the wagons do, ‘racing round blind corners’. She also claimed there is a “disregard for working hours”.
“The rate of lorries delivering waste to the landfill site has decimated a country lane that cannot withstand such heavy traffic,” she said. “When I was walking my dog once, it was literally a truck every two to three minutes driving at breakneck speeds.”
She added: “The road is totally impassable now due to flooding and potholes up to your knee.
“So many have complained to the council, yet never receive an acknowledgement or explanation.
“We contacted Environmental Health about the dust, but nothing was done. Bucks Council…literally could not care less. It’s a total disgrace.
“The council should stop this work immediately on grounds of threat to human health and safety.”
TfB: 'The lane is on the list for extensive plane and patch treatment'
A Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) spokesman said: “TfB is aware of the issues on Hollybush Lane, Denham. The problems can be attributed to the high level of HGVs using the road, causing constant heavy impact and the high rainfall we have been experiencing in the last few months. Mud coming off the tyres of the HGV vehicles has been blocking the ditches, which we have cleared three times in the last two years.
“However, due to the level of damage caused we have now needed to close part of Hollybush Lane to traffic. An order to repair has been raised, and an extensive ditching program has been added to future works. Hollybush Lane is also on the list for extensive plane and patch treatment.
“We are in contact with O’Malley Haulage and are working together to reach a solution that works for everyone and keeps the roads in a useable condition.”
O’Malley Haulage was approached for comment.
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