Published: Thursday, 18th March, 2010 10:19am

Calls for probe over stench from plant

Special report by Ewan McInnes

HITTING OUT: Councillor Devlin stands yardss away from the leakage. Picture by Joe Mulgrew.

A PUNGENT pong has had residents and staff fearing for their health after a separate industrial spillage and leakage - claim concerned locals.

Last Monday's spillage at the William Tracey site within the Carlibar recycling plant created a stink which spread through the Dunterlie area and beyond.

And on Friday the leakage of foam from a drain on Carlibar Road added to the sickening smell.

Waste, which is run-off from landfill sites, is discharged by lorries into the drains at Tracey's Carlibar Road site with the permission of Scottish Water.

The stinking odour has caused problems in the town for more than 10 years with residents in Barrhead and the businesses on Muriel Street raging it has still not been resolved.

Speaking of the sickening stench, one worried Muriel Street worker said: "It was that stuff that the [Willam Tracey] tankers are disposing of and we have still not been told if the smell is dangerous or not.

"The smell can be there every time there is a tanker discharging and sometimes you can't smell it for weeks.

"The foam coming from the drain on the road can be a hazard to drivers and has caused people passing it to feel unwell.

"How many more years is it going to take for them to get it right?"

Neither Tracey's or Scottish Water would confirm to the Barrhead News that the odour coming from the drains posed no health risks.

Resident Elaine Jamieson of Commercial Road lives directly behind Muriel Street and saw the waste spilling out of a wall at William Tracey's site.

She said: "I saw there was stuff spilling out the wall - it was disgusting.

"It made me boak and I had to cover my mouth with my hand.

"You can smell it sometimes when you walk past and also when you're crossing at Cross Arthurlie Street and Paisley Road.

"It is like rotten eggs or raw sewage.

"You usually smell it when the foam is coming out of the drain on Muriel Street."

As a precautionary measure, Barrhead councillor Danny Devlin wants no waste to be dumped at the site until a full health and safety check is carried out.

He added: "Businesses and residents have been approaching me about this lately and it is a disgrace that Tracey's are allowed to dump raw sewage in the middle of Barrhead - especially an area which is focused on regeneration.

"At the end of the day they shouldn't be dumping in the middle of the town because the smell is sickening and it could be a danger to people's lives.

"There are rumours they are dumping waste from other areas and more than they are allowed to, so people are asking me if they are in breach of contract.

"But as summer approaches if that smell is not sorted out it is going to get far worse and cause havoc in Barrhead."

A spokesperson for the William Tracey Group said they had taken appropriate actions to resolve recent residents' concerns at their Barrhead site and claimed to anticipate no further problems.

A Scottish Water spokesman said they were aware of the spillage and leakage last week but said they could not act on it because it was the responsibility of the landowner, William Tracey's.

They also confirmed they had received complaints about the odour.

An East Renfrewshire Council spokesman revealed Environmental Health will be taking samples of the odour when it next occurs in a bid to find a lasting solution to the problem.

He added: "There has been an intermittent odour problem affecting premises in Muriel Street and environmental health officers have been monitoring this and liaising with both Tracey's and Scottish Water.

"We have received complaints from employees in premises in Muriel Street reporting that fumes from drains on their premises have been making people feel nauseous, giving them headaches and making them have to stop work to gain fresh air."

Scottish Water and William Tracey's will meet with the council's environmental health officers on March 26 in a bid to resolve the problem.

Any residents who have been affected by the stench should contact the Barrhead News on 0141 435 8858.

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