Town stench cause remains a mystery as probe halted

One resident described the whiff as "really, really vile" while others complained it was so bad it woke them from their sleep

The source of a stench so foul that it has disrupted people's sleep has left council experts scratching their heads.

The bad smell reported in Brightlingsea, Essex, has been variously likened to decomposing organic matter, chemicals and sewage.

Since the June, Tendring District Council's environmental protection team have carried out 27 proactive visits to the affected area and two in response to residents' calls.

However, they have not managed to identify the cause of the smell due to its intermittent nature and the authority has decide to halt further proactive monitoring visits.

One resident described the pong as "really, really vile", with some reporting it had caused headaches, nausea and breathing issues.

A number of residents previously alleged that the odour was emanating from the Eastern Waste Disposal (EWD) site, north of the town.

But in a statement, the authority said its investigations did not support this theory.

It said: "We are satisfied that the site is taking appropriate measures to control the odour - however some odour from the site must be expected at times."

The Environment Agency and Anglian Water confirmed no breaches of conditions were found.

Council officers also explored other possible sources without success.

Because of this, the authority said it would not be performing any further proactive monitoring visits.

Reactive monitoring visits will be carried out instead, following any direct complaints to Environmental Services.