A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has found that any instances of threats and intimidation allegedly made to Dunmow Group employees by Brightlingsea residents were not reported to police.

Dumow’s waste transfer site in Brightlingsea has been subject to an Environment Agency (EA) investigation after being suspected as the source of a gassy smell that has plagued parts of the town for months. In August it was claimed that workers had been threatened by angry residents – but following the FOI request, Essex Police has said that no complaints were recorded.

Following the allegations – made at a meeting convened by Brightlingsea Town Council an attended by members of  Dunmow’s management, the EA and gas works contractor Cadent – the council issued a statement condemning “threats and intimidatory behaviour” towards Dunmow employees as “clearly unacceptable and will not help to resolve the problem”.

The FOI request was made by a member of the Brightlingsea Residents’ Action Group, which is monitoring ongoing instances of the smell. It asked: “… how many complaints were made to Essex Police during July and August 2022 complaining about bullying/intimidating/threatening behavior (sic) in respect of the offensive stench, allegedly coming from Dunmow Skip Hire and Waste Management in Morses Lane, Brightlingsea ..?”

Essex Police replied: “We have conducted a search on both our Athena Crime and STORM recording systems for all notifiable offences and calls in the last two months and the location mentioned within your request does not feature. Therefore the result is nil.”