Dear Sir,
Mrs Proud’s letter, about the sickly smell, appears to point the finger at factories on the business park as the source. However, the source could also be from ‘muck spreading’ on farmer’s fields. A lot of farmers do this during the spring but also in the summer, after harvesting. This muck can be in the form of sewage sludge, or animal manure and slurries, which fits the description of the smells given.
Industrial activities that generate an odour are controlled by legislation and therefore the regulatory bodies have enforcement powers to control them. Agricultural muck spreading falls under the best practice guidance given in the DEFRA Code of Good Agricultural Practice. Farmers are also advised that the best conditions for spreading are typically sunny, windy days, followed by cloudy, windy nights as these conditions cause odours to be diluted quickly, which could possibly explain the timings that these smells were encountered.
The best way for Mrs Proud to report the issue would be to take note of the wind direction at the time of the smells in relation to her house, or keep a record of the time they occurred and report them to either The Environment Agency or Environmental Health. Who could then plot the likely sources using prevailing wind data, whether they be industrial or agricultural sites, and investigate them if necessary.
Mark Penny