Turnchapel locals are riled by 'stinky sewer'

SOUTH WEST WATER INSISTS PROBLEM LIES ELSEWHERE

-  CARL EVE

PRESIDENTS in a quiet part of Plymouth who have bitterly complained about the stench of sewage for many years believe a newly uncovered Victorian sewer may be the cause – but water bosses say otherwise.

Rob Buttress, of Turnchapel, said a local dog-walker spotted the open sewer after workers from an electric company appear to have accidentally cracked open slabs of stone up while working at one end of Boringdon Terrace, near the junction with Undercliff Road. He said the sewer appeared to have a limestone capping piece on top which was later covered in asphalt.

The straight sides of the sewer appear to been lined with stones, not unlike a dry stone wall, but some kind of limestone putty or clay to hold it in place and supposedly make it watertight. Human excrement and toilet material are clearly visible – and the smell is obviously that of a sewer still linked and being used by some properties in the area. He said the sewer “may go some way to explain the pervasive drain smell that affects the village” and has done for many years.