The operations manager was the human face of the oil waste refinery plant and he was flagged by his wife Elizabeth, daughter Breanna, 10, and son Ben, 8, as he delivered a brief statement at a media conference in Rutherford yesterday.

Mr Franks, who has worked for the company for nine years, said the threat of the operational suspension jeopardised his future, as well as those of all the other employees at the plant.

“It dismays me to not have the satisfaction to say to the guys, ‘there you go, your job is fine’,” he said.

“Seeing the guys everyday, face to face, and talking to customers, it is very emotional for me.

“We recycle waste oil and we want to do the right thing by

the environment and not do

anything wrong.”

Truegain’s media conference was a turnaround for the company which, until Wednesday, had shunned media questions.

Lauren Steep, a Truegain executive assistant, said she had grown up in Rutherford and never noticed the west Maitland smell.

She said she and her partner were in the process of buying a house in Rutherford and the company’s uncertain future could dash her dreams of owning a home. If Truegain’s licence is suspended and Ms Steep loses her job, she would be unable to afford the mortgage repayments.

“It’s really hard for everyone who works for the company at the moment, hearing we might shut down and we might not have a job,” she said.

“I see the complaints coming from the residents and I can see myself that all the odours being described are different – burning rubber, burning oil, gaseous, methalyted spirits.

“There’s nothing to say that all of these odours could come from us.

“It’s also really scary to know that our company could be shut down even though no one is saying ‘here’s absolute proof and evidence that it’s coming from your company’.

“Maybe tomorrow when I open up the paper I can see something supports how we feel as well.”