RESIDENTS met with councillors to discuss a stench in Deeside making people's lives a "misery". 

Flintshire County Council’s environmental health service is investigating odour complaints covering an area from Connah’s Quay to Sandycroft.

The first formal complaint was received at the end of April 2023, and since then, the council said it has been working alongside Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to identify the source of the odour.

Officers have visited and assessed local businesses that emit waste products into the environment as part of their operation, as well as several smaller sites in the Sandycroft area where most of the complaints have been received.

Councillor Chris Bithell, cabinet member for Planning, Public Health and Public Protection, said: “I can assure residents that we are doing all we can to get to the source of this odour. As a result of the work undertaken by the council and NRW, some significant lines of enquiry are now being pursued.

“We are in the process of appointing an independent odour specialist to try and confirm the source or sources. In the meantime, we ask residents to continue reporting incidents to us. As part of the investigation, we have requested a sample group of residents to log when the odour affects them, the frequency and intensity.”

It has been described as smelling like a "soggy mop", and residents have complained of headaches and sore throats that they believe are linked to it.

A Facebook group set up for residents to discuss the matter and report times and places they smell it has over 500 members.

MORE NEWS: 

​On Friday, residents met with councillors at Sandycroft Community Centre to discuss the matter. 

Among those present was Paula Titley. She said: "The mop smell, that we call it, has been making my life a misery for the last nine months.

"Firstly I thought it was in my house so I started stripping everything, then thinking it was the drains that I’d be pouring bleach down, I even phoned Welsh Water out to check the drains on my property and the ones on the main road. But it's become clear it's something affecting the whole area.

"I love my garden and sitting out in it with my grandson but haven’t been able to because this smell is so strong. I believe it’s the epicentre in Sandycroft. I just wish it would stop, there’s a lot of unhappy people out there."

To report an odour, call 01352 703440 or email Pollution.Control@flintshire.gov.uk.