Our town is plagued by awful smell that makes kids THROW UP – it’s a mystery but we shouldn’t have to suffer like this
RESIDENTS have told how their town is plagued by an awful mystery smell that makes kids THROW UP.
The noxious stench is making live a misery for locals - who are woken up in the morning by the powerful odour "like sewage".
Residents say the nine-month pong ordeal has caused kids to vomit and FAINT after becoming overwhelmed with the smell in Birmingham in the West Midlands.
Akhtar Shah, 62, says he can’t stop itching since the smell started flooding in around their Bordesley Green houses.
He told the Sun: "We don’t know what we are inhaling and it is making it very difficult to live here.
"The school down the road called the fire brigade when it first started because they thought there was a gas leak.
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"A pupil collapsed and had to be taken to hospital."
Imran Khan, 28, added: "It’s disgusting. It’s hot and people want to open their windows but they can’t.
"It starts at about 8am in the morning and goes on all day.
"It just smells like sewage. I’ve got kids and I’m worried about what they are inhaling.
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"It’s not good and it has got to stop."
The Environment Agency is working with local road construction company Kiely Bros Limited ";to resolve" the issue.
Dust can be seen billowing from the compound as wagons come and go.
Taxi driver Aftab Khaleem, 43, said: "I live about a mile away and I can smell the stench.
"The smell is unbearable - it’s suffocating because you don’t want to breathe.
"It’s like you’ve been thrown in to the gutter. It’s sharp on your throat, like a chemical."
Residents on a nearby cul-de-sac of terraced houses are unable to open their windows due to the stench.
One homeowner, who asked not to be named, said: "I’m a private tutor and I’ve had to send children home because the smell has made them throw up.
"There’s a school down the road which called in firemen because they thought a gas leak was making pupils ill.
"It turned out that it was the smell from the plant.
"We have to keep the windows and doors closed because the smell floods the house.
KICKING UP A STINK
"Even at night time you can smell it. It makes me feel sick. It’s been going on for a long time."
The woman’s son, who also asked not to be named, added: "If I had to describe it, I’d say it smells like eggs mixed with waste.
"It worries me what I’m inhaling."
Mohammed Iqbal Hussain - an imam in the local mosque - added: "This is a residential area with people who are suffering.
"They should do this activity somewhere else, where the pollution does not affect people’s day to day lives.
"We shouldn’t have to suffer like this."
The Environment Agency revealed the watchdog was working with Kiely Bros Limited "to resolve" the issue.
A letter to locals read: "In April 2022, we instructed the site operator to install mobile odour suppression, remove standing water around the wash plant area and reduce waste stock piles to aid in minimising odour on site.
"Though some of these actions have been completed, some remain ongoing."
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “Our officers are aware of odours causing issues around Kiely Bros in Cherrywood Road, Bordesley Green.
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"We take all reports very seriously and we endeavour to thoroughly investigate each report."
Kiely Bros has been approached for comment.
