‘It’s foul’, cry Scots as residents hit by horrible stench wafting in from miles away
A RANK stench caused by a blaze at a waste facility in Lanarkshire can be smelt by raging Edinburgh residents over 50 miles away.
Emergency services are still on the scene this afternoon at Greengairs Waste Facility in Airdrie after reports of the inferno at around 12.20pm yesterday lunchtime.
Five Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) appliances were dispatched after the blaze took hold on Saturday.
Residents as far as Blantyre in south of the site said they saw black smoke billowing into the sky above the site with a strong smell of chemical burning in the air.
But now locals on the east coast say they are able to smell the rancid stink from as far as away as the South West of Edinburgh.
One witness in the capital tweeted: "Almost 24 hours since the fire started and I can still smell fumes in SW Edinburgh."
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"Another wrote: "Fire at Greengairs Waste Facility, can smell it in Livingston, it's foul."
A third commented: "There's a weird electrical burning smell hanging over Edinburgh right now.
"First noticed it whilst walking near the Meadows. Still pungent on George Street West right now."
A fourth replied: "It’s still in the air in Livingston. I feel sick with it. It’s like inhaling diesel every time I breathe."
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A fifth added: "the smell as far away as Livingston is acrid, rancid. dread to think what's all in there. just a few minutes outdoors brought a burn to the back of the throat..."
The SFRS have issued a wider warning to nearby locals and the east of Scotland to " to keep windows and doors shut" this afternoon.
They added: "If travelling through smoke, motorists should keep windows closed, turn off air conditioning and keep air vents closed."
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency have declared the blaze an environmental incident.
They said: "SEPA have been notified of a fire at Greengairs Landfill Site, North Lanarkshire.
"Officers have attended the site to assess any potential environmental impact.
"We are engaging with the site operator and Scottish Fire & Rescue Services and will continue to monitor the situation and respond as required."
The landfill fire comes one week after a battery recycling plant in Linwood near Paisley exploded near to homes.
A massive plume of black smoke was thrown into the air after the blast at the Linwood Industrial Estate in Renfrewshire last Sunday.