Ballantine Castings in Bo'ness has addressed odour issues

The concerned resident, who did not want to be named, was worried about fire calls and overnight bonfires at Ballantine Castings in Links Road.

Their main gripe, however, was a strong fuel smell which they said made it “near impossible” to walk around the streets by the firm’s base at certain times of the day.

Having raised the matter with SEPA a year ago, the reader had heard nothing.

This week, a SEPA spokesperon said: “We investigated nine reports of odour from Ballantine’s Castings in 2023. We instructed the operator to investigate potential odour sources and mitigation options further.

“The operator provided an update to SEPA in March this year. Steps have been taken to review odour sources and operational changes to castings times and processes have been made to reduce odour emissions. The operator has also engaged with the community council to keep residents updated.

“We will continue to investigate odour reports from members of the public and ensure that the operator is taking all possible steps to minimise odour escape.

“SEPA also investigated reports of burning in the area in June 2023 and found no evidence connecting these incidents to the foundry.

“Members of the public who detect any odour should contact SEPA via our online form or the Pollution Hotline on 0800 807060.”

The firm’s director Gavin Ballantine was also keen to clarify a few points.

He said: “We take on board all concerns from our neighbours. Indeed, as one of the largest employers in the area for over 200 years, the local community is the lifeblood of the company.

“The overnight bonfires were caused by local vandals. They broke onto site and set fires, one of which caused considerable damage to buildings.

“Fortunately, our night watchman was able to alert the fire brigade before it got out of hand. Luckily, nobody was harmed through the mindless actions of others. We do not undertake any burning on site – all wood waste is taken for recycling.

“In regards to the odour complaints this is something we take very seriously and we have worked extremely hard to limit all fume generating processes on site.

“Our annual environmental air analysis is at the forefront of industry standards.

“We closely monitor fumes from the site with two inspections carried out every day, taken from outside the site boundary; in the event that there is an issue we notify SEPA immediately.

“Since receipt of the first odour complaint, we have further reduced the fumes relating to our moulding processes by over 40 per cent.

“The mention of petrol is strange as we do not have any fuel-related processes connected to the manufacture of castings. A number of complaints have also been noted when the foundry is on shut down. I can only assume, in these instances, the odour has come from elsewhere.

“We welcome any input from our neighbours – our doors are always open to the local community.”