ST PETER residents say they are sick to the stomach at a stench which is forcing them to keep windows closed and stay out of their gardens.
Just weeks after the JEP highlighted the concerns of parishioners living near a giant sewage tank being built close to their homes, people living in the wider area have raised a new but linked issue: an intermittent pungent smell which – on its day – has even prompted people to wretch.
The related cause appears to be a major upgrade of drains along the main road, which will feed into the tank before flowing down to Bellozanne for treatment.
The stink has been inhaled by residents from Rue de St Clement in the south, to Philadelphie Messy Church to the north, and everywhere in between.
It has also reportedly permeated the internal plumbing of houses, with some residents encountering a smell when turning taps or having a shower.
One resident who is sick of the smell is Nick Benest, who has lived in Petite Rue de l’Eglise for the past 26 years. That is the one-way lane that runs behind the Sir George Carteret pub and meets the main road by YESS Electrical.
Mr Benest says he has engaged with neighbours also experiencing the smell via Facebook, confirming his suspicion that the smell stretches across the parish centre.
He said: “This has been going on for months and must be linked to the drains’ upgrade; however, the Infrastructure department cannot seem to be able to identify the cause.
“Engineers have visited the area and have acknowledged the smell, but we haven’t had any direct response from them.
“If it is from an underground source, I appreciate that it is probably difficult to pinpoint. Is it a blockage in the sewage system? Or something to do with the gradient? Or damage to a joint or seal? I’m not an expert but someone needs to find out.”
Mr Benest said the smell has been present for months, but came and went. When the JEP visited his property this week, the smell was apparent, especially above a rectangular metal cover over his connection to the main drains.
Mr Benest added that he had got his own drains tested to see if the smell had emanated from his own network, but nothing had been found.
“Recently, the smell was so bad that my wife and I decided to leave our home and the whole area just to avoid it,” he said. “It stops you organising anything at home, like a barbecue in the garden, in case it’s there.
“I’ve even seen someone wretch at the smell as they walked past. This is clearly a public health issue that needs to be addressed.”
Another resident, Dean Saxelby, said the smell prevented him opening his windows and was a “nightmare” in the heat.
Mr Benest said he had met district representative Deputy Arlene Maltman, whom he praised for listening to his concerns.
Deputy Maltman said that she was working with Infrastructure on behalf of parishioners to make sure their questions were answered and concerns addressed.
She added that she hoping to arrange a public meeting, which would also cover worries about the nearby sewage tank, which residents said had left them “at boiling point” because of the dust, noise and smell.
St Peter is currently undergoing a mains drains’ upgrade, prompted by new development in the northwest, including the rezoning of fields for hundreds of new houses.
It resulted in the main road through the parish centre being closed for six months. It reopened in May but is now closed again in order for individual properties to be connected to the new drain, which has increased in diameter from 400 mm to 600 mm.
Responding to concerns about the smell, an Infrastructure spokesperson said a “significant contributing factor” had been the recent prolonged dry weather.
“Reduced rainfall results in lower flows within the foul sewer network, causing sewage to remain in the system for longer periods. This can lead to septic conditions developing within parts of the network, which may generate unpleasant odours,” they explained.
They added that the Liquid Waste Operations team had been “actively investigating reports of odours in the wider St Peter’s Village area” and had identified a defect – which has since been temporarily sealed – allowing odours to enter the surface water system and discharge through road gullies.
They confirmed there had been “no cross-contamination between the foul and surface water networks” and said that a permanent solution was being worked on.
They also noted that, as part of ongoing sewer network works in the parish, some manholes had been fitted with covers to help reduce odours. A redundant sewer has also been “cleaned, disconnected and infilled to prevent the accumulation of stagnant sewage and sediment that could otherwise contribute to odour issues”.
The spokesperson said it was expected that these measures would “reduce the impact of the reported odours”, and that further improvements were “anticipated” once their wider investigations were completed.
