City council 'should tackle drains smell' in Derby
A city councillor in Derby is calling for the council to take action on smelly drains that have been causing problems for years.
Councillor Baggy Shanker said the smell in Osmaston Road, caused by disposal of fat, was unacceptable.
Severn Trent said it can limit the amount of waste put into drains, but could not comment in detail.
Ready meals maker S&A Foods said it was "fully compliant" with the terms of its disposal contract with Severn Trent.
"There is an ongoing monitoring process in place to ensure that we do not exceed these limits," a statement from S&A Foods said.
"As a responsible company we take our commitment to the local community and the environment very seriously."
The city council is considering initiating a statutory nuisance order against Severn Trent, which would allow it to force the firm to take action to alleviate the smell.
Derby shopowner Narinder Singh said the smell in the Osmaston Road area has been a problem for years.
"The amount of fat that has built up in there to smell that bad must be unbelievable."
He said jet washes were used to clear fat from the drains but the treatment was not effective enough.
Mr Shanker: "We need to get more proactive with the response to this - we need to stop the fat from entering the system in the first place. Why should residents have to put up with that?"
He said city environmental officials were meeting with Severn Trent to discuss the problem.
Severn Trent said it could not comment on waste disposal agreements as they were "commercially sensitive".
"These agreements are regularly checked through a routine monitoring process, including a random sampling of the waste," a Severn Trent spokesman said.