Sewage is big stink

Sewage problems are causing a stink at a Stafford leisure centre which may be putting people's health at risk, according to users of the facility.

Visitors to the Riverside Recreation Centre in the town say they have to endure the stench of sewage in the men's shower rooms.

Environmental health officers at Stafford Borough Council are now investigating a complaint about the problem.

Jimmy Kershaw, who has recently started using the swimming pool at the council-owned centre, said fellow users had told him it had been a problem for several months.

He said: "I've just moved into Stafford and I have to say, as the central leisure centre, it is not a good advertisement for the town.

"I moved here from Manchester and I hoped to use the leisure centre every night, but the stink is horrible.

"There is an awful stench in the men's shower room which, apparently, has been there for months. It smells like there is an open sewer running through there.

"My thinking is that, if you can smell it, there must be airborne bacteria in the atmosphere, which would be putting people's health at risk.

"It is a worry because so many people, including children, use the facilities here.

"And I think it's absolutely disgraceful that this has been going on for months.

"I know they are building a new leisure centre to replace Riverside and anything has got to be an improvement, provided they don't have some underlying plumbing issues there too.

"It does concern me that, if they can't even sort out what might be a simple plumbing problem now, what is the service going to be like in the future?"

Stafford Borough Council spokesman Will Conaghan said a smell coming from the men's toilets had been reported to leisure centre staff.

He said: "The drainage system in the area is hosed down with disinfectant regularly every day.

"From time to time the drains will get blocked but every month staff carry out a deep clean to stop the smells. Obviously we cannot carry out this work when the public are around but if we have comments about the smells the deep clean will be carried out at the first opportunity.

"The matter was also reported to our environmental health team, who will look into it. We would ask anyone who is concerned about this area of the leisure centre or any other hygiene issues to contact a member of staff."