Dust from demolition and construction sites can be a nuisance to residents when it interferes with the use of their property.
We advise that you initially contact the manager of the site or company causing the issue to see if it can be resolved informally.
The Environment Agency licenses industry, business and individuals to carry out certain activities that have the potential to pollute the environment. Visit their webpage to check if a site is regulated by them. If the site or company is listed on the Environment Agency's webpage then they will be the authority to enforce at this site and you should report issues via their environmental incidents reporting page.
If you are unable to resolve an issue informally by contacting the company yourself, then you can contact us. We will investigate complaints and take enforcement action if possible.
If you want us to investigate please contact us via the My Sandwell Portal .
This may depend on:
- How much dust is affecting nearby properties;
- How often the dust is occurring;
- Whether the dust is affecting a persons' enjoyment of their property;
- Whether the business is using what we call Best Practical Means (BPM) to keep the dust to a minimum. This means, the methods used to reduce dust from that task, are the best available for that situation, taking into account cost and technology.
For it to be a statutory nuisance, it must be from a trade or business premises.
This is why it is very important that you complete and return your monitoring forms.
Although we can investigate complaints of dust from an unknown source, formal action may not be possible.