Stench plans put Leith at mercy of 'council nostrils'

RESIDENTS near the notorious Seafield stench today said they were living under "a dictatorship of council nostrils" after the latest plan to deal with the smell was unveiled.

The city council said a group of 18 officials had been trained to monitor the odour from the sewage works and deal with complaints from local residents.

It said repeated lapses in measures put in to mitigate the smell would see the plant operator, Scottish Water, referred to the procurator fiscal.

But local residents said the new plan relied on the "nostrils" of council officials who have repeatedly failed to identify the smell as an "odour nuisance".

The council said it had introduced a "rigorous monitoring regime" to respond to complaints about Scottish Water's 24 million investment in the plant.

A one-year monitoring and improvement plan will see a pool of 18 council officers trained and able to respond quickly to any complaints about smell, the council said.

All the officials have received specific training on monitoring methods, sources of the odour and types of odour and will enter the plant to investigate the specific source or cause of any odour problem.

Local residents have also been issued with monitoring forms to help record the odour and when it occurs.

But Rob Kirkwood, spokesman for the Leith Links Residents' Association, said the new measures did not go far enough.

He said: "This is dictatorship of council nostrils. We've relied on council officials for 40 years and they have repeatedly let us down.

"The issue is that the odour abatement plan doesn't claim to remove the smell, just reduce it.

"We're back to square one here, with council officials just saying what they have for the last 40 years - that there is a smell, but it's not causing a nuisance."

The city council said it wanted to work closely with the local community to help identify any patterns or changes, as well as to challenge any breaches to the code of conduct and enforce the Odour Improvement Plan.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city's environment leader, said: "We are going to work with the community to take firm action to make sure the money spent by Scottish Water will make a real difference to reducing the smell.

"We can make sure that the plant is managed to the highest standards and that community concerns are addressed. Around 3000 households in the area surrounding Seafield will be contacted to explain our plans and invited to take part in our smell check."

A Scottish Water spokesman added: "Scottish Water and its PFI partner Stirling Water UK will work closely with City of Edinburgh Council in respect of the newly constructed odour improvement works at Seafield.

"We have worked in close liaison with local community groups and elected members through our regular stakeholder group meetings during the development and construction of the odour improvement works, and we will continue to do so during the forthcoming monitoring period."