A STINKY problem has been troubling Halstead residents after heavy rain.

Several people have noticed a turgid smell in Parsonage Street, after a downpour meant an overflow sewage pipe let more escape than it should have done.

There had been fears raw sewage was getting into the River Colne, close to a bridge by the fire station.

One resident, who asked not to be named, blamed Anglia Water for the spillage from the nine inch pipe, saying it was getting away with polluting the waterway.

He said: “It shouldn’t really happen, and I don’t think that’s right.”

But Anglia Water says it fixed a sealed cover on the manhole, so escaped effluent should be a thing of the past.

Spokesman Sara Rowland said: “There were problems from the sewer pipes, but it now has a lockable, sealable manhole cover, so nothing can get out at that location.”