WORK to stop a stench filling Colchester’s Hythe is complete.

Anglian Water has completed the first stage of a £25million project to mask the sewerage smell that plagues the area, replacing and refurbishing a lot of equipment on the site.

However, Julia Havis, borough councillor for the Harbour ward, said the real test will come in the summer.

She said: “The real test will come when the weather starts to heat up."

A spokesman for Anglian Water said an odour abatement notice, issued by Colchester Council, has been completed and residents should no longer be affected by the smell.

He said: “Although the work is complete and we have seen a reduction in the number of complaints, we are still actively monitoring the air.

“I would ask residents to remain vigilant because of the way smell travels and to report incidents as and when they happen.”

The work to stop the stench is part of a £25million works plan, which will transform Colchester’s sewerage system as 10,000 additional houses are built in the coming years.

It is hoped the vast majority of the work will be completed by May 2013.
Large scale work also began two weeks ago on a combined heat and power plant, which is due to be completed before 2014.

It will use by-products of the water treatment process to generate electricity to power the site.