Thames Water investigation 'strong smell' in Maple Cross

Parents who have been dropping off their kids to Maple Cross JMI & Nursery School have been complaining over recent weeks about strong smells in the area, that is reportedly making people feel ill.

According to Protect Maple Cross, a campaign group for the village, various complaints have gone their way about a “smell-zone” which they believe is coming from the Thames Water West Hyde sewage treatment works on Old Uxbridge Road.

“Parents walking to the school with their children have complained that the smell can be so strong, it makes them feel ill on the school run,” said the campaign group.

Complaints were also sent out to Thames Water to address the concerns, as some parents fear that the smell could be potentially harmful.

It was suspected that the scent is coming from the sewage treatment site. Credit: Protect Maple Cross

According to Thames Water, investigations are underway to determine what is causing the smell.

A spokesperson said: “We’ve checked our sewage pumping station to make sure it isn’t the cause of the smell and found no issues there.

“Our next step is to investigate if the smell could be coming from our network of underground sewer pipes, which we’ll do by lifting manhole covers to check for signs of blockages that might be caused by a build-up of fat or unflushable items like wet wipes.

“If we find any blockages we will remove them.”

The spokesperson stated that Thames Water works hard to keep odour from its sewers to a minimum, and it always investigates complaints it receives.