Wanted posters featuring Hertsmere councillors have sprung up as villagers protested against a decision to turn an unpopular composting site to open storage.

For at least seven years, Elstree campaigners have demanded the composting site opposite Centennial Business Park is shut down claiming it is a “health hazard”.

There have been several complaints about smell which reportedly affected people from as far away as Bushey and Edgware.

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Campaigners on a march through Elstree last year led by Ms Reyes (left)

The planning application by Reviva was approved by Hertsmere Borough Council on May 16 and it means composting on the site will come to an end. But residents continue to be angered by plans to turn the site into storage. In addition, no one appears to know will be stored there.

Posters featuring four councillors who supported the planning application - Linda Silver, Anthony Spencer, David Carter, and Glenn Briski – have been seen around Elstree village.

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Cllr David Carter

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Cllr Glenn Briski

The notices are accompanied by the tagline ‘Wanted for treason’ and suggest the councillors have been “found guilty of supporting Reviva”.

They were put up by Elstree Revolt, a new secretive protest group, which has vowed to continue its “peaceful and lawful protests” in the weeks ahead.

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The Reviva site in Elstree

Elsa Reyes, one of the key leaders in the campaign against Reviva, is concerned about extra lorries on the roads and was not happy to see Reviva’s application approved.

She said: “This is not what Elstree deserves. This should have been rejected. We will see how this develops but this feels like a slap in the face.”

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Deputy chairman of Hertsmere Borough Council planning committee, Cllr Spencer, said a decision had to be made “one way or another”.

He said: “I think it is a good thing for the community that we can stop the composting. I have had complaints from as far away as Edgware about the smell. We did the best we possibly could.

“I don’t think we have committed treason and I think the posters are a bit of a joke. We had to make a decision one way or the other. If Reviva don’t stick to the conditions, we can send in enforcement to stop them.”

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A poster of Cllr Spencer has appeared at Cecil's Horse Sanctuary while below Cllr Silver's face has appeared on a bin in Elstree village

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Hertsmere Borough Council said a condition has been added which means separate consent is required for hazardous materials to be stored on site.

At the planning meeting on May 16, county councillor for the area Cllr Caroline Clapper, spoke against the application.

She said: “Historically there have been numerous issues with this site and also with the continually ‘flouted lorry ban’ on Barnet Lane. How can we take any comfort from conditions, when we know historically that operations have been ongoing, despite repeated case requests from the borough and county councils and the Environment Agency too.”

Reviva has 12 months to change its use of the site from composting to storage, and vehicles will not be allowed to leave the site between 8am-9pm and 3pm-4pm on Monday to Fridays to reduce traffic on the road.

In 2015, Hertsmere Borough Council issued Reviva with a statutory nuisance abatement notice after complaints about smell - but an application to extend a building to contain the odour was rejected by Hertfordshire County Council.

A number of meetings about Reviva and its operations have been held with councillors, leader of Hertsmere, Cllr Morris Bright, the Environment Agency, and Hertsmere MP Oliver Dowden.

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Mr Dowden on a visit to Reviva in 2017 with fellow MP Matthew Offord, who represents Hendon

Mr Dowden has previously said: "I know how concerned local people are about the Reviva compost recycling plant and how appalling the fumes it emits can be for those living and working nearby.

"Since I was elected I have been working with residents, the responsible public agencies and Reviva themselves to highlight these concerns and address this problem."

Reviva was contacted on May 22 and has not responded to a request for comment.