Penrith has experienced a record surge in odour complaints, with Environment Agency figures showing 538 reports were received from the area during July 2026.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, have prompted the Fresh AIR for Penrith campaign to warn that rising temperatures could create increasing challenges for industries involved in waste, food processing and rendering.
Of the 538 reports received by the Environment Agency during July, 466 members of the public identified Omega Proteins, the animal rendering plant to the west of Penrith, as the source of the odour.
A further 33 reports identified the Flusco landfill site, while the remaining 39 either identified another source or did not specify a source.
The scale of the increase is particularly striking when compared with the same month last year. In July 2025, the Environment Agency received just 50 odour reports from the Penrith area.
One day in particular saw an unprecedented number of complaints. On Thursday, July 30, the Environment Agency received 89 odour reports — a new daily record.
Jeff Thomson of the Fresh AIR for Penrith campaign said the figures demonstrated the need for stronger controls and planning as temperatures rise.
“Increasing temperatures and the knock-on effect across industries including waste and food sectors clearly evidence there is a need for improved control and compliance,” he said.
“These odour report figures are totally unacceptable. Residents should be able to live their lives as normally as possible in hot temperatures, without having the extra worry of odour.”
The Environment Agency has previously highlighted the challenges faced by the rendering sector during periods of extreme heat, including increased volumes and the faster decomposition of animal carcasses in higher temperatures.
During July, the Environment Agency held regular coordination meetings with Defra, representatives of the rendering industry, the Foodchain and Biomass Renewables Association, and the Animal and Health Agency.
The agency said it would continue working with stakeholders to strengthen contingency planning within the sector ahead of future heat events.
The Environment Agency has said that early intervention should reduce storage times, minimise environmental permit non-compliance and help reduce associated impacts, including odour emissions.
The agency has also confirmed to Fresh AIR for Penrith that it remains in close contact with Omega Proteins.
“We regularly inspect Omega Proteins to check their compliance with their environmental permit conditions,” the Environment Agency said.
The latest figures are likely to add further pressure to efforts to address what has become known locally as the Penrith ‘Pong’.
Mr Thomson is urging anyone affected by odour to report it to the Environment Agency as soon as possible, saying that reporting individual incidents helps provide evidence of the scale and location of the problem.
Odour complaints can be made to the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or through the government’s online reporting service.
Mr Thomson said he remains in regular dialogue with Penrith's MP Markus Campbell-Savours over the issue and is also engaging with MPs and councillors in other areas experiencing similar problems, including Bradford, where there have been public demonstrations over odour associated with an animal rendering plant.
He is also seeking meetings with local industries, businesses and candidates for the Cumbria mayoral election.
“This is a whole community problem and everyone should be working towards a solution to benefit the town, its residents, its visitors, its economy and the local environment,” Mr Thomson said.
The latest concerns come as residents have again reported strong odours across parts of Penrith today, with some residents suggesting the smell may be associated with agricultural activity, including slurry or farmyard manure being spread on surrounding fields.
The record July figures come as questions remain over how Penrith and its surrounding industries will cope if increasingly high summer temperatures become more common.
For residents who have experienced the Penrith Pong, the Environment Agency figures provide a stark indication of just how significant the problem became during July — with more than ten times as many reports recorded as during the same month in 2025.
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