VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Odour Pollution: Wiltshire

Asked by Sarah GibsonLiberal DemocratDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 26 March 2026UIN 122955

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the cause of the persistent odour affecting residents in Calne, Wiltshire; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Environment Agency and local authorities have the resources and enforcement powers required to identify and address the source of the smell.

Answered by Emma Hardy

The Environment Agency is aware of persistent odour reports in Calne and continues to treat the issue as a priority. Officers from the Environment Agency’s Wessex Area team have been deployed daily since last Thursday to investigate the source and assess any environmental impacts. They are conducting odour assessments at the times residents report the smell to be strongest, mainly late at night and early morning. These assessments are helping to establish the odour’s intensity and origin and will inform any necessary regulatory action.

Defra engages closely with the Environment Agency and other agencies to review resources and enforcement powers.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim