Smells lead to frustrated locals reaching out to MP

Residents say smells from Whitlingham treatment works have been particularly unpleasant in recent weeks

An MP has waded into a row between a water company and residents over complaints of a “horrendous” smell plaguing homes.

Alice Macdonald, Labour MP for Norwich North, has intervened between Anglian Water and people living in Thorpe, Norwich.

Locals who have been troubled by odours from the sewage treatment plant at Whitlingham, said the stench had been particularly “insufferable” in recent months while the company carried out upgrades using temporary equipment.

A spokeswoman for Anglian Water said the smell should have improved by the start of the month, once the refurbishment was completed.

Alice Macdonald who was recently elected to be MP for Norwich North is trying to sort out a smell problem in part of her constituency

Ms Macdonald said she had been contacted by residents from Thorpe and approached Anglian water.

“They have been very responsive and told me they are working hard to minimise any odours caused by them and have engaged with local councils to review reports from residents.

"They are also considering a broader odour survey which I would welcome so they can better understand the extent of the problem.

“It is good news that the upgrade work is complete which should hopefully minimise these unpleasant smells.

"I hope to arrange a visit to the plant with Anglian Water soon to discuss the issue in more detail and explore longer term solutions as this has been an ongoing issue for a number of years.”

The facility at Whitlingham treats wastewater from the city and surrounding towns and villages as well as processing ‘sludge’ – solid matter from sewage that can be used as fertiliser.

A spokeswoman for Anglian Water said: “Our water recycling centre at Whitlingham receives tens of thousands of litres of sewage everyday, so keeping odours to a minimum is something we take seriously.

“We’ve recently upgraded the equipment at the water recycling centre to ensure we have the capacity to deal with Norwich’s growing population – which includes upgrades to our sludge treatment process.

“The nature of the site, and the job it’s there to do, means there will inevitably be some smells from time to time."

It added it was doing its best to minimise smells with new equipment and chemicals.