Rotting clams that stunk up neighborhood are being removed
The rotting clamshells that were used to pave an access road in a small Rhode Island community are being removed after neighbors complained about the stench and maggots.
WJAR-TV reports that workers were at the property Wednesday morning to remove the clams after the property owner was issued a cease-and-desist order giving him until the end of the week to remove them.
A crew with heavy equipment was later seen scooping up shells.
A Rhode Island man used unwashed clamshells to pave a road that neighbors complained gives off a sickening stench
The Tiverton man’s neighbors say the smell has been making them ill for about three weeks
Residents complained to the town that the unwashed clamshells created a terrible smell and attracted maggots and flies but they are now finally starting to be removed
The owner used the shells to pave an access road two weeks ago. But they had meat still attached, leading to a putrid smell as it decomposed. Video showed maggots crawling all over the road.
State environmental authorities said the clamshells were considered waste because of the decaying clam meat.
The state Department of Environmental Management issued a Letter of Non-Compliance to the owner last week requiring the clamshells to be removed and disposed of at a licensed solid waste management or composting facility.
The property owner David Rose has refused to comment.
The putrid smell is caused by the meat on the shells decomposing. Video shows maggots crawling all over the road
A Tiverton police officer hand-delivered a cease-and-desist order to the property owner on Friday. The clamshells are now finally being removed much to the relief of nearby homeowners
'Pretty much every person signed the petition that we have,' Blair Moore said to News 10 after collecting signatures and taking phone calls for 14 days.
The Moores said that the stench was everywhere and even had to hire a professional cleaner to come and get rid of it - even from the couch cushions..
'I'm still worried about to see how much they dig up and how much they take away with them. But that was pretty-amazing news for us. I still didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes,' Moore said.