A West Belfast grandmother has launched a High Court action over the foul odour coming from Mullaghglass Landfill site.
Residents across Lisburn and Belfast districts have been plagued by the stench for several months.
People in the area had long believed that the odour was caused by emissions emanating from Mullaghglass Landfill Site, which the Northern Ireland Environment Agency have since confirmed.
Last month, Belfast City Council served a Section 65 Abatement Notice to Alpha Resource Management, who own the site, forcing them to take action to address the odours.
This odour has been the subject to hundreds of complaints from residents in the affected area to the relevant authorities.
Phoenix Law have now formally issued High Court Judicial Review proceedings to ensure that the necessary steps are taken by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council to address and eradicate the odour.
Local resident Noeleen McAleenon said: “My neighbours and I have been suffering this odour and its effects for far too long now. The odour is so strong it keeps me up at night.
"I have not been able to have my grandkids come to visit me for months now because of this odour. As a result of the continuing failure to properly stop these emissions from Mullaghglass Landfill Site, I have instructed Phoenix Law to initiate judicial review proceedings to ensure the harm being caused is urgently addressed.”
Harry Robinson of Phoenix Law who acts for the residents said: “Following correspondence issued to the Minister of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in January, and pre-action correspondence in April, we have still received no substantive response to issues raised therein. These issues are causing considerable harm to local residents and the wider environment at large.
"Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council have informed us of their reasons for not issuing an abatement notice in response to the nuisance odour per their statutory duty.
"By failing to take the action necessary to eradicate the odour in question, these public authorities are allowing the considerable harm to the local community and the wider environment to continue.
"As a result, the residents have now initiated high court judicial review proceedings to seek the court’s intervention to prevent any further damage to our environment and the local community.
"In the twenty first century it is inexcusable to allow such an attack on the environment to continue without intervention.”
Meanwhile, DUP leader Edwin Poots has said he will consider "all feasible options" to tackle the issue.
In a letter written in his capacity as Environment Minister to West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, Mr Poots expressed "extreme concern" over the odour, which he said could be subject to an "independent review".
"I would like to assure that I am taking this matter extremely seriously and will take actions I consider necessary within Departmental powers," he added.
