Act now – Flaring event 13th August 2026
There is significant flaring taking place at Stanlow Refinery today.
We’ve been out monitoring the air around Stanlow and have recorded PM2.5 readings above 25 µg/m³, with readings above 30 µg/m³ in Ince.
What does that mean?
PM2.5 is made up of extremely fine particles — small enough to travel deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
For context, the World Health Organization recommends that average PM2.5 exposure over 24 hours should not exceed 15 µg/m³.
Our measurements are spot readings, not a 24-hour average, and on their own they cannot tell us exactly where the particles came from. But they show elevated levels of fine-particle pollution at the locations and times we measured them — while major flaring is taking place nearby.
📢 If you can see or smell the flaring, are experiencing pollution, or are concerned about the air you are breathing, please report it TODAY.
Complain to Cheshire West and Chester Council:
📧 environmentalprotection@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Or visit the Council website and go to:
Report it → Environmental health → Light, smoke and other pollution
Please also contact the Council’s Public Health team and ask for your concerns to be passed to the Director of Public Health:
📧 publichealth@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Tell them:
- where you are
- what time you witnessed the flaring/pollution
- what you could see or smell
- how long it lasted
- and include photos or video where possible
Please ask for your report to be formally recorded as a concern about local air quality.
The Council may point residents towards the Environment Agency because the EA regulates Stanlow as a major industrial installation.
But that does not mean Cheshire West and Chester Council has no responsibility for the air we breathe.
Local authorities have statutory Local Air Quality Management duties to review and assess air quality in their area. Cheshire West’s own website says this includes pollution from industry and business.
We need proper monitoring, proper investigation and proper accountability when events like this happen.
Please report what you are experiencing. Individual complaints create a record of what communities around Stanlow are actually living with.
⚖️ In the meantime, please donate to our legal fundraiser if you can. Every donation helps us challenge how pollution regulation at Stanlow has been enforced. 👇
