More than €500,000 spent by Westmeath County Council to control noxious smells from the county's only landfill site has failed to end the problem, according to local residents.
The council installed what it called a "state-of- the-art extraction system" at Ballydonagh landfill, on the outskirts of Athlone, but people living nearby say the smell has "got worse, not better".
The system was designed to ensure that methane gas would be burned off, but council officials admit it is "not dealing with the problem in its entirety". They are reviewing the position with their advisers and will be carrying out further works in an effort to deal with the smells.
Residents who live adjacent to the site complain of "smells that would make your stomach turn" and they say they will object to a proposed extension to the site.
"People around here are complaining of headaches, nausea, coughing and other ailments," said one resident. "The smell is pure rotten. We have to leave our windows closed at all times, because the smell would almost knock you out. The problem has got worse since they installed the new system."
Mr Kevin Moran, a Westmeath councillor, has said he will join the residents if they decide the picket the dump.
"The smell can now be got further and further from the site. If they picket the dump, I will be on the front line with them."