Is there a 'vile' smell in Derby? Update from Severn Trent Water as investigation 'ongoing'

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Residents of Derby have reported a persistent foul odour, prompting an investigation by Severn Trent Water. The investigation is ongoing, with updates expected from the water supplier.

Severn Trent Water says its investigation into a “vile” smell in Derby is still ongoing.

But the water firm says it has received no complaints since its workers began looking into the cause.

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Last year it was reported that a mysterious pong across the city – but mainly affecting the Spondon area – had led to complaints to local councillors. 

The fishy smell had been a cause for concern for some time with the unpleasant whiff first becoming a concern during summer 2024.

It was so strong that residents claimed on social media that they had to keep windows closed, and some “heaved” when noticing it on their travels.

At the time worried councillors urged people to keep a diary log of times and locations of when and where they could smell it – so it could be looked into properly by officers. 

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The smell appeared to go away but then came back towards the autumn, causing fresh concern in the community. 

Spondon’s three Conservative councillors, Jonathan Smale, Chris Poulter and Nicola Roulstone, issued a statement claiming they and council officers believed with a “high degree of confidence” the smell was coming from the Severn Treatment Works plant at Megaloughton Lane.

Severn Trent Water responded to the claims by launching its own investigation and said it was aware of public concern. That probe remains ongoing, the company has said when it was asked for an update this week.

A spokesperson for Severn Trent said: “Our investigation is still ongoing and we’re working with the Derby City Council air quality team to understand if the issue is coming from our site, although we’ve received no complaints since the investigation started.”

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Last year Spondon councillors told residents: “Derby City Council has confirmed with us that there is a high degree of confidence the recent odours we’ve been experiencing are coming from the Severn Trent Treatment Works plant.

“The city council hopes to resolve this with discussions with STW. But we felt it was important to notify and update residents who have been affected by it so they can also report it to the right place. We can all agree the smells at times have been vile.”

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