Sewer works set to tackle River Rase smell

Market Rasen faces potential traffic disruption as work progresses to tackle an ‘horrendous’ smell coming from the town’s river.

Anglian Water has confirmed it is now in discussions with the council over when work can start to seal the sewer lining underneath the River Rase.

Last month residents raised concerns about the welfare of the town’s ducks after noticing an awful smell coming from the murky  river.

The Environment Agency identified a ‘misconnected drain’ causing the issue – and then Anglian Water used CCTV cameras to explore the issue further.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “The team are going to complete some sewer lining soon to ensure that the sewer is as sealed as it can be.

“However, we’re not sure when this is going to happen as they are currently in discussions with the council and local highways team to organise times and dates of the work as there may be some traffic disruption.”

Market Rasen Action Group (MRAG) captured the photo opposite and said: “The smell of the water near the ducks is horrendous.”

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We are working with Anglian Water as they investigate this further and plan repairs, but in the meantime, we’d always remind people to avoid water which looks or smells bad, and to report any suspected pollution.”

Residents can report pollution to the Environment Agency by calling its hotline number, 0800 80 70  60.

An Anglian Water spokesman added: “If members of the public spot anything unusual, they can report it to us on our Pollution Watch hotline number 03457 145 145 and we will investigate to help protects our waterways - even if it’s nothing to do with Anglian Water.”