The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a voluntary Code of Practice for operators of sewage treatment works in order to try and minimise the problem of odour nuisance. This problem generally exists as a result of more extensive treatment processes, and is an increasing problem for local people given their increased awareness of local environment quality. The document outlines the best practice for water companies and local authorities when dealing with complaints over excessive smells from such facilities, and advice ranges from how to assess how much of a nuisance an odour is and the ways it can be minimised and limited.
The publication comes after a recommendation from a recent consultation on the subject, and Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw said there is a "clear public demand to minimise the impact of unpleasant odours from waste water treatment works, however we need to be realistic. While the new Code will help to tackle odour in many cases, it cannot guarantee that minor odour will not occur in all circumstances."
