But council officers have warned the decision by Norfolk County Council's planning committee to turn down retrospective permission for the use of the pits, off Upgate Road at Seething, could make matters worse.

The lagoons at Seething (Image: Google Street View)

The lagoons - with a combined volume of 11 Olympic-sized swimming pools - store organic liquid waste from the food and drinks industry before it is used as fertiliser.

White Recycling Limited took over the site, where the lagoons were created in the 1980s without planning permission, in 2019.

They were seeking retrospective planning permission for the second time, with the County Hall's planning committee

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