A Moray shopkeeper is kicking up a stink after a mysterious liquid with a smell resembling “dead, rotting flesh” was dumped outside his store.
Murdo Urquhart, who owns the Girnie’s corner shop on Elgin’s Main Street, discovered the rancid spillage outside his premises yesterday morning.
The 61-year-old trader lashed out at Moray Council for a perceived delay in cleaning the road, though the local body explained that it was not able to respond immediately to individual cases.
Mr Urquhart believes the mess was left behind between 9.30am and 10.30am yesterday, but was unable to confirm the identity of the culprit who deposited it.
He said: “My customers have been mentioning how horrendous the stink is, and I feel it could pose a danger to children.
“My shop is situated along from New Elgin Primary School and I would hate for a pupil to fall over into it.
“Whoever emptied it must have known there wasn’t a drain there, so it’s all just gone on the road.
“I worked in a slaughterhouse for years, and the smell is worse than that – it’s like dead, rotting flesh.”
Mr Urquhart said he also contacted the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) regarding the smelly substance.
A SEPA spokesman said: “Following a complaint that potentially harmful liquid had been discharged on to Main Street, New Elgin, SEPA officers did attend and spoke to the complainant.
“On inspection, officers found evidence that a small volume of liquid had been discharged onto the road surface but were satisfied that there was no impact on the local environment.”
A Moray Council spokesman yesterday confirmed: “We were made aware of a possible spillage and responded accordingly.”