Drain installation in Astley Bridge to deal with foul-smelling water

The problem has been ongoing, according to Cllr Hilary Fairclough, for several months, usually reappearing after periods of heavy rain.

Council officers tested the water and found it was not untreated sewage as had been feared for locals, though they were unable to account for the smell or colour.

Cllr Fairclough said: “Several residents have reported this to me – they all said it was terribly smelly.

Residents described the small as ‘foul’ (Image: Hilary Fairclough)

“It’s been going on for a quite a long time as well – it was hot on Facebook just before Easter, but some residents have told me its been going on for months, not weeks.

“I think it was the Facebook pictures that finally got people to take a serious look at it – just the fact that it looked so horrible.”

The sludgy, foul-smelling water flows down the ginnel from Whithill lane, past Highview and the back of Eastgrove Avenue.

There was at first concern that the water was coming from the nearby Sweetloves Water Treatment Plant, though United Utilities investigated this and found this not to be the case.

Despite this, neither United Utilities nor Bolton Council were able to ascertain the source of the water nor what it consisted of.

The water seems to have formed a thick sludge (Image: Hilary Fairclough)

But United Utilities have install a channel drain on the path to fix the issue, work which they will complete ‘within the next few weeks’.

United Utilities said: “We’ve carried out a number of investigations on site and don’t believe the water to be coming from Sweetloves water treatment works or the wastewater and clean water networks in the area.

“We’ve agreed with the council as a goodwill gesture that we will install a channel drain on the path to direct the water into a nearby road gully which will rectify the issue – this will be done within the next couple of weeks.”