Probe into awful ‘stench’

AN investigation is to be launched after a number of complaints about an “unbearable” stench.

Dawn Homan, who lives in Upper Dovercourt, said she started to notice a foul smell around the town’s streets about two weeks ago.

She claims the odour “absolutely reeks” around streets including Valley Road, Clayton Road and Abdy Avenue.

The roads are not far from fields by Dovercourt Dock River, which is where Ms Homan believes the smell is coming from.

She thinks the stench is of a strong field fertiliser on the fields by the river.

“It smells so horrendously badly,” she added.

“It smells as though people have diverted all the sewage of Harwich and dumped it on to the fields at the back of my road, allowed the sun to get onto it and then dumped more sewage on there for good measure.”

Ms Homan said the smell is almost unbearable and affecting residents in both Upper Dovercourt and Parkeston.

“The smell has been here for two weeks now, I could only describe the smell as effluent,” she added.

“It’s like manure or food waste.”

A spokesman for Tendring Council said the authority had received reports about the smell and its environmental health team was investigating the issue.