New council urged to take action on factory stench

Campaigners fighting a long-running battle against foul odours linked to a Bradford factory have challenged the city's new political leadership to take action.

The P. Waddington plant, in Dryden Street, converts dead livestock, zoo animals and roadkill into biofuels and other by-products, but people living and working nearby say the smell is driving away trade and tourists.

Businessman Ziggy Zaborowski said he wanted to see the new Reform UK council leaders take action to rid the city of its "Smelly Bradford" stigma.

Bradford Council has now pledged to meet with campaigners, while also promising to "continue to take all appropriate steps available to us under current legislation".

Meanwhile, the factory's parent company said it "respects the concerns raised" and will continue to "strive to minimise odours".

Zaborowski, who spent 22 years running Bradford Car Glass from nearby premises, said: "Thousands of people have come through my gates over the years and they've all come in holding their noses.

"We try to keep a nice, clean business, but when you get a smell like that, it doesn't really give the customer a lot of confidence.

He added: "People are coming into Bradford on trains and buses and they go, 'Smelly Bradford' - we don't want that stigma, do we?"

The campaigners have stepped up their efforts after new council leader Stephen Place declared he wanted to get Bradford "open for business," with the council "laser focused" on drawing investment to the city.

Structural engineer and campaign leader Ummer Daraz, said: "We welcome the message that he wants to open Bradford up for business.

"But rule 101 is that you must encourage people to come and shop or eat in Bradford. If they're competing against this, then you're going to have problems.

"If you want to open Bradford for business, then these are the low-hanging fruit."

Campaigners claim the odour can travel well beyond the immediate vicinity of the plant near Leeds Road, particularly during warm weather.

Fellow business owner Rahan Khan said the issue had become a daily problem for those working in the area.

"Every day, constantly, it's down your throat," he said. "It's not just airborne. It's down your throat. It's inside the workshop.

"When I open up on a morning, the smell lingers on the vehicles, inside the vehicles."

Daraz said campaigners wanted to meet Bradford's new leadership and urged councillors to see the issue for themselves.

"We would welcome the opportunity to sit down and explain the disproportionate impact this factory is having on business, on the Curry Capital, on local businesses, on the town centre and beyond," he said.

"If you want to clean up Bradford, clean up the air."

Alistair Collins, a director at J.G. Pears, the parent company of P. Waddington, said the firm "respects the concerns raised" and had "always been open to meet with representatives of the local community" and continuing to work constructively with Bradford Council.

He said P. Waddington "strives to minimise odours beyond the site boundary" and had "always operated within the strict requirements of our permit and emissions management plan" in line with environmental regulations.

He stressed company has also agreed to an independent environmental consultant carrying out further testing and monitoring of emissions later this month.

Mr Collins added that upcoming reviews of environmental regulations and wider changes to animal by-product legislation were also likely to have a significant impact on the industry, including operations at the Bradford site.

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said its environmental health team continued to investigate the odour complaints and would take "all appropriate steps available to us under current legislation".

The authority said the new leadership was "open to meeting with campaign representatives at an appropriate stage to listen to concerns", provided this did not compromise the ongoing investigation.

Councillor Ian Walker, the council's executive member for neighbourhoods and communities, said the recent complaints about foul smells impacting the city centre were being taken seriously.

He said: "We know how frustrating this is for both the public and local businesses" adding: "We are carrying out an active investigation to find out the source of the smells. We will take whatever action we can take to hold those responsible to account."

He said the council wanted all businesses to play their part in ensuring Bradford remained "a great place to visit".

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