Communities living near a waste site in Cricklewood are campaigning for the relocation of a waste firm as they battle daily against smells and dust.

More than a hundred people gathered outside P.B Donoghue in Claremont Road armed with banners and chants on April 28 saying “Dump Donoghue”.

Lisa Pate, from the Golders Green Estate Residents Association, said: “It used to be a just skip hire and now they go and get the waste from different industrial sites and bring it back. It’s tons and tons a day, hundreds of HGV movements a day.

They do waste processing on site and it’s right next to housing developments and lots of schools.

“Literally you walk down the road and the dust and sand goes in your eyes, you can’t breathe. Everybody’s really fed up.”

She added: “Tenants in Handley Grove are meters away from the site and suffer most. They can’t open their windows and there are a lot of health problems there.

“Twenty years ago the site there would have been more acceptable as Claremont road was more industrial but now it’s more residential.

“It needs to be relocated somewhere out of town, not where people have to live.”

She said a group of residents had appealed to Barnet Council, but with no results. She added: “We keep going to the council, we’ve asked for quality testing for at least the last year and they haven’t done it. We’re really concerned about the people living there and passing through. We’re very frustrated by the lack of action.”

Peter Donoghue, managing director of the company would not say if he was prepared to relocate his firm.

He said: P.B.Donoghue has been operating from our site in Claremont Road which backs on to the mainline railway for 30 years.

As a family run business we take our health and safety, as well as environmental responsibilities extremely seriously. We have and will continue to operate within all the terms of our licence, as agreed by the local council and the Environment Agency.

P.B. Donoghue has been established in Cricklewood for nearly 40 years and is a significant employer in the local area.

“We have been in dialogue with Barnet Council and we will continue to do so going forward.

“In addition we are happy to listen to the concerns of representatives from local residents and have a constructive dialogue as part of these discussions.

Cath Shaw, commissioning director for growth and development at Barnet Council, said: “We are aware of on-going concerns about this site. Although it is privately owned, our partners have had discussions with P.B Donoghue about a possible earlier relocation as part of the wider Brent Cross and Cricklewood regeneration scheme. We continue to explore whether a viable alternative site can be found.

“The licensing and enforcement of waste management sites such as this one is the responsibility of the Environment Agency. We are in contact with the Environment Agency about this site. We are mindful of people’s concerns and we will be undertaking a deep clean of the surrounding area over the coming weeks.”