Stinky situation nothing to be sniffed at for Sealand Road residents

[caption id="attachment_181" align="alignright" width="300"] Ungerer Ltd. have come out smelling like a rose. Photo credit - Rept0n1x[/caption]

AN INVESTIGATION carried out by the Cheshire West and Chester Council has discovered that there are no signs of ‘odour nuisance’ emanating from Ungerer Limited on Sealand Road.

Up to a dozen residents of the presiding area – 1.9 per cent of homes within 250 metres of Ungerer’s building – have filed complaints leading to the investigation of the plant. But it has been established this week that smells coming from the plant do not result in a legal nuisance.

The report states: ‘Some complainants have maintained that they are subject to smells ‘all day’ or ‘all night’, however this is not the experience of officers who have made responsive visits, including out of hours, when such assertions have been made.’

Council officers investigated the problem by conducting ‘intensive sniff tests’ at various locations surrounding the plant and within the housing estate where the complaints were filed.

Environmental Health Officers have worked with the company in the past to try and reduce any smells stemming from the plant. In 2010, Ungerer Ltd took a bold step by stopping production of liquid reaction flavours, which were found to produce the strongest smells across the Sealand Basin.

Councillor Lynn Riley, Executive Member for Localities, said: “Since we began our investigation into alleged odour nuisance from Ungerer Limited, we have worked with the company and it has subsequently either changed its method of working or brought in odour reduction equipment to tackle the smells.

“However it must be taken into account that production at Ungerer can never be odour free but it is worth noting that no very strong or extremely strong odours were found by our officers during the ‘sniff test’ investigation. This found that smells were mildly and moderately pleasant – which should be expected near such a plant.

“Indeed such smells may be found in anyone’s home irrespective of where they live because they are contained in many household products. Please rest assured that we will keep working with Ungerer and the Council will regularly review further ways of suppressing odour emissions.”