Manhole covers and a distillery pipeline in Burghead are being monitored following complaints about a disgusting sickly smell.
Several residents in the Moray town reported smelling the foul stench for several days at the end of last week.
The offensive odour is believed to have been strongest in the area surrounding the maltings but has been detected across the community.
Where was the smell coming from?
Confusion surrounded who was actually responsible for the smell with conflicting reports about where it was coming from.
One resident said the stench had been occurring intermittently for several months.
She said: “It comes from manhole covers along the back shore. I’ve got one near the end of my garden and when it’s bad I can’t go outside.
“It’s not really a sewage smell. It just makes you feel sick, it sticks to the back of your throat.”
Diageo has confirmed the smell was caused by a blockage in a pipeline used by several distilleries.
The firm says crews attended on Friday after they were made aware of the issue to carry out a fix with the area continuing to be monitored to ensure there is no repeat.
Residents reported there was no sign on the smell on the shoreline near the maltings today.
Meanwhile, Sepa has contacted Scottish Water, water and waste management firm Veolia and Moray Council after it received a complaint.
Investigations continue into Burghead smell
Liz McKnockiter, chairwoman of Burghead and Cummingston Community Council, explained the group had not been made aware of previous instances of the smell.
She said: “It appears to be a one-off as far as we are aware, certainly nobody has approached the community council about it before.
“But it will be something we will be monitoring. We have a community council meeting this week and it will be on the agenda.”
A Diageo spokeswoman said: “We were made aware of the issue and our contractors attended our Burghead site on Friday morning.
“Investigations identified a blockage in a manhole in the Defco line which is used by a number of distilleries in Speyside and this was resolved. We are monitoring the area to ensure there are no further issues.”
A Sepa spokeswoman explained the agency was made aware of the smell on Thursday last week by a member of the public.
She added: “We have contacted Scottish Water, Veolia and the local authority to make them aware of the odour complaint. Sepa officers will follow up on the report tomorrow to make sure appropriate action has been taken.
“We would like to thank the member of public who reported this to us and encourage anyone who is concerned to report any potential pollution incidents via our 24-hour online form at www.sepa.org.uk/report”
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