The Peterborough Pong: What is causing the stench on Bourges Boulevard

The nasty stink of sewage is not a new thing – it has lingered on the busiest road in the city centre for a long time. But as the summer – and hopefully warmer temperatures – arrive for the year, it’s presence is less welcome than ever before.

The Peterborough Pong was a well known phenomenon in the past – and was usually blamed on the agricultural land surrounding the city, with farmers spreading manure on their crops.

But the modern day iteration has its roots a lot closer to the city centre – just a few feet below, in fact.

And now businesses have called on Anglian Water to take action to put an end to the whiff in the city centre.

“We’re committed to making the city centre a welcoming destination to work in and visit"

The smell is particularly noticeable near The Park Inn Hotel, and a spokesperson for the hotel said the issue had been raised in recent times. The spokesperson said: “The issue concerns a public drainage system outside the hotel. It is something we have raised with the relevant local authorities and companies, along with fellow members of the Peterborough BID. We very much hope to see the issue resolved.”

Pep Cipriano, chief operating officer at Peterborough Positive, said it was vital the issue was resolved quickly:

He said: “We’re committed to making the city centre a welcoming destination to work in and visit. When the Park Inn spoke to us about the persistent smell of drainage, we immediately contacted the relevant department at the city council and raised it as a concern that’s been historic and needs to be addressed with a sustainable solution. We hope it can be actioned as soon as possible.”

“There are smells from time to time, and hotter temperatures can make these more noticeable"

Anglian Water said they were taking measures in a bid to reduce the smell – including works at the near-by pumping station.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “The nature of the work we do means there are smells from time to time, and hotter temperatures can make these more noticeable. Our team has adjusted our odour management at Orton Mere pumping station as a precaution, and are also carrying out further investigations to identify whether we’re contributing to this odour.”

“Please make sure you’re only flushing the three Ps"

The spokesperson also urged people to take care with what they flush away – as ‘unflushables’ could be adding to the issues.

They said: “Data we’ve collected shows that people across the East of England wrongly disposed of 2,800 tonnes of unflushable items last year, mostly made up of wet wipes, cotton buds and sanitary products. As well as causing blockages that reduce the capacity of our sewers, causing flooding and pollution, these unflushable items can contribute significantly to odour issues near our sites. Please make sure you’re only flushing the three Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper – and binning everything else.

“We always want to be good neighbours and would encourage customers to report any odours directly to us at 03457 145 145.”

Cllr Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “Our drainage team maintains highway gullies in this area, however these gullies collect clean surface water only. We are not responsible for the three foul sewers located within this vicinity. These are the responsibility of Anglian Water and in our view the smells are coming through manhole covers.

“Additionally, there are combined sewers (foul and surface water mixed) located in Priestgate and Wentworth Street. Our highway gullies flow into these and given that the highway gully is an open vented system, some smells may be noticeable during prolonged dry spells of weather but these smells usually surpass during the next rainfall.

“During wet periods water will remain in the gully system and prevent smells coming back through the pipe work, similar to a household toilet, but during long dry spells this water can evaporate, exposing the pipes.”