Residents who have been affected by the "noxious" smell coming from a County Durham landfill site have hit out at the Environment Agency for not doing enough to protect them.

In a meeting between locals from Aycliffe Village and nearby Brafferton there was a feeling of hopelessness about the situation.

All of those who attended described how awful the last year had been with the smell, which they all believed was coming from the nearby Aycliffe Quarry Landfill site, regularly impacting their lives.

One resident described cancelling family barbeques after the awful stench descended on the family get-together.

Another said that when she comes downstairs in the morning she is greeted by a wall of foul smell in her kitchen.

They have had enough and some at the meeting proposed protests, independent air quality testing after long delays from the EA, and even the possibility of launching a legal challenge.

Mark Appleby, a new resident who only moved to Aycliffe Village a few weeks ago, said: "I have emailed Ashcourt on several occasions. 

"They are not replying. It is like we are knocking on a closed door.

"We need to get our heads together to find a powerful and positive way forward."

The most recent update from the Environment Agency suggested that there might be other sources creating the smell in the area, not just the landfill site managed by the Ashcourt Group.

Residents at the meeting all disagreed, they said that "the smell has not changed and it gets stronger the closer you get" to the site.

All of the residents were concerned about the impact the odour was having on their wellbeing and their health.

Katie Walsh, a resident in Brafferton, said: "My husband went for his asthma review last week and the nurse said that she had no doubt at all that the quarry is making it worse.

"There are issues with landfill sites all over the country. This is not just us."

One resident summed up the feeling at the meeting best: "I complained to the Environment Agency.

"They are not carrying out their duties. The response I got back from them would make you think that they are doing absolutely everything perfectly.

"Although we can smell it they just say it is below the guidelines."

Roz Henderson, a local councillor attending the meeting, described the feeling of apathy which was affecting many locals.

She said: "There is no end in sight. 

"We are even more in the dark now. We still don't know when it will stop."

The meeting ended with most present agreeing to put out leaflets in the surrounding villages to spread the word about how to report any incidents to the Environment Agency.

A spokesperson for the Aschourt Group said: "There have been odour reports in the area but we are confident that the cause of these odours is not Aycliffe Quarry. 

"As the EA state in the briefing note they are assessing other sites in relation to the odours being detected."

We have contacted the Environment Agency for a comment.