‘Glue-like’ smell forces residents out

UPPERMILL residents were forced from their homes as fumes from a substance being used to repair a culvert seeped into their properties.

Four households from Wellmeadow Lane sought refuge with relatives or stayed in a hotel when an overpowering smell of what one resident described as “glue-like” resulted in physical symptoms.

One woman said: “The work started last Monday and by Wednesday the house stunk of glue.

“We woke up on Friday morning with banging heads and chest pains. We couldn’t breathe, and when our baby was sick we decided we couldn’t stay at home any longer so we went to stay with relatives.

“The workmen told me they were using something called styrene, which was causing the smell, and suggested we pay for a hotel then try and claim the money back.”

Reports of similar problems were also made by residents in Pick Hill and Church Road, Uppermill.

Council. Environmental health officers are inspecting the site, but Keith Roddy, from the Environment Agency. said, “The smell is unpleasant but poses no risk to health.

“We are working with contractors to get the works completed as quickly as possible.”

The £710,000 scheme will repair a culvert carrying Pickhill Brook and protecting 130 homes and businesses from flooding.




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