Banham Poultry fined £300,000
A poultry company has been fined £300,000 after neighbours complained about the smell of “rotting bodies and flesh” coming from an abattoir.
People living near Banham Poultry in Attleborough in Norfolk reported the smell to the Environment Agency nearly 350 times between 2019 and 2021.
Some said the smell was like “rotting bodies and flesh”, while one person was physically sick.
The stench came from decaying chickens, with the smell escaping through damaged and open doors.
Meanwhile, stale blood accumulated on the abattoir floor due to blocked drains.
Banham Poultry, which is now under new management, was sanctioned for “failing to stop odour pollution”.
At a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 15 September, District Judge Andrew King said the smell had a “significant effect on quality of life” in the town.
The court heard that people could not enjoy their gardens, and nauseating smells entering their homes were difficult to remove.
The Environment Agency said that it had previously warned the company to act after nine people complained about smells coming from the slaughterhouse in 2019, but the situation only got worse.
ITV