They say that where there is muck there’s brass-and in the case of Vokes Air Filters Limited never a truer word was spoken. For seven years the Leeds Liverpool Canal has been the only barrier separating residents from the Heald Wood housing area from the firm's Lodge Mill factory in Barden Lane. But the calm waters of the canal belie the ill feeling residents have felt towards the company in those years, bombarding it with complaints about noise, dirt, smut, resin and even the smell they say has emanated from the factory. The firm has been granted planning permission to proceed with a £250,000 extension to house a new system which it claims will reduce pollution to far below its present level. Residents are still sceptical, and remain concerned that emissions cause health problems. There was a meeting at the Crest Hotel which became heated at times, but the firm’s personnel officer felt it did at least give people chance to talk about problems which he hoped would be resolved.