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A mysterious smell that made Kirkby residents “vomit” after repeatedly descending on the area could be eliminated once and for all.

The “absolutely vile” odour, which has been compared by some to “sour sick, farts and gone-off milk” in the past, has plagued the town over the last 12 months.

Hundreds had speculated on social media that a waste facility site on the Knowsley industrial estate was the source of the sickening stench and their suspicions were confirmed in July.

The Environment Agency (EA), who carried out an investigation last year to find out where the smell was coming from, said they were working with the SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd company on an “odour management plan”.

However, the EA today confirmed they have served SUEZ with an enforcement notice - meaning they must now install new machinery to “prevent or minimise the odour” - after “the company remained non-compliant with their permit conditions despite advice and guidance”.

The EA’s environment manager for Merseyside, Simon Hurst said: “We have been working with SUEZ giving them advice and guidance to help them to comply with their permit.

“Following complaints we have carried out three weeks of odour monitoring in the Kirkby area, and audited the site.

“We have now taken the decision to serve an enforcement notice because despite being given advice and guidance, the company remains non-compliant with the permit conditions.”

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The company has an environmental permit to take up to 500,000 tonnes of waste on site a year.

This waste is then sorted and the non-recycled rubbish is transferred by trains to outside Merseyside and converted into energy.

SUEZ hold an environmental permit to carry out this work and the EA said they “consider a condition of the environmental permit is being contravened”.

The condition reads: “Emissions from the activities shall be free from odour at levels likely to cause pollution outside the site, as perceived by an authorised officer of the Environment Agency, unless the operator has used appropriate measures, including but not limited to those specified in any approved odour management plan, to prevent or where that is not practicable to minimise odour.”

Under the enforcement notice, the EA is “requiring the company to install a Carbon Filter Scrubber System as an appropriate measure to prevent or minimise the odour”.

Mr Hurst added: “We are serving this notice because the operator has failed to follow advice and guidance to comply with their permit.

“We are therefore taking this action in line with our enforcement guidance.

“I would also like to reassure the public that the Environment Agency carry out regular inspections of all permitted sites in the area and take complaints seriously. Please call our 24 hour Incident Hotline if you would like to report any environmental issues on 0800 80 70 60.”

A SUEZ spokesman said: “We have worked hard to be good neighbours to the residents and businesses close to the waste transfer facility at Knowsley, which is a vital piece of local infrastructure.

"Suez has worked closely with the Environment Agency to implement a programme of odour mitigation measures at the site and will continue to work with them to ensure the carbon filter system is installed effectively.”