A DUNFERMLINE politician has expressed her hope that a stink coming from a West Fife landfill site could soon be a thing of the past.

Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP met representatives from Cireco Scotland, operators of the Lochhead site in Wellwood, after receiving a number of complaints from constituents about the foul odour coming from it.

Last month, the Press reported the concerns of a Milesmark resident who said that for several days in November and December, the stench had become so bad that it had made its way into his home.

At that time, several complaints about the smell were made to the Scottish Environment and Protection Agency (SEPA).

Ms Somerville said she had been told that "significant" efforts to cap the area had since been carried out in an effort to mitigate the smell and capture as much landfill gas as possible.

"This offensive odour has affected my constituents for several years now and it's unsurprising that many have grown increasingly frustrated as a result," she added.

"I'm therefore grateful to Cireco Scotland for agreeing to meet with me on site to discuss local concerns about the smell and explain what they're doing to fix the issue once and for all.

"It was reassuring to hear that work to cap the site is already well under way and staff are increasingly confident that this project can be completed by the end of summer.

"I have asked to be provided with updates about the work being carried out and SEPA will also remain in regular contact to ensure that these are completed as quickly and as safely as possible.

"I will continue to engage with Cireco over the coming months but, hopefully, we are approaching the final stages of this long-standing issue."

Ross Fenwick, service manager at Cireco, said regular liaison with SEPA was continuing with a plan in place to maximise capping in 2023.

He added: "Work is ongoing and subject to suitable weather conditions."