Rodbourne smell to be investigated by specialist consultants

Labour group leader Jim Grant met with Rodbourne Cheney ward councillor Peter Watts to discuss the issue

A foul smell plaguing residents in Swindon will be investigated by a specialist firm.

The council and the Environment Agency have been unable to determine the source of the odour affecting people in Rodbourne and Rodbourne Cheney.

Resident Luke Parsons said: "It smells like someone has mixed cheese and vomit together and set it on fire".

Swindon Borough Council has now agreed to pay Arup's Bristol office to look into the issue.

Following a meeting with ward councillors Peter Watts and Jim Robbins, Labour group leader, Jim Grant, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Obviously, we are pleased that the council have agreed to fund a specialist company in attempt to identify the source of the smell.

"Once we have identified the source we can start to eradicate the smell, which is all local residents want."

'Inconveniencing residents'

He said that while the Environment Agency could not single out the source of the smell, many people in the area believe it comes from the council's waste recycling and processing site at Waterside Park.

He added: "I would call upon anyone who is responsible, or knows who is responsible, to come forward now, not least because it would save the taxpayers having to fund the specialist investigation."

The borough council's cabinet member for service delivery, waste and transport, Kevin Parry, said: "We have been working closely with the Environment Agency to determine the cause of the smell which has been inconveniencing local residents in Rodbourne.

"In order to try to narrow down the origins of the smell we are enlisting the help of a specialist company who can take air quality samples to see if this can give us some further evidence."

Mr Parry urged residents to keep a log of when they notice the odour and contact the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident hotline.