People in Peterhead are used to interesting smells: the rich, seaweedy coastline, the fish market, the diesel fumes from vessels in the harbour.
But for the residents of a new housing development to the west of the town, an altogether more unpleasant and unpredictable niff is making life miserable.
The stench that drifts over Greenacres from the neighbouring Dales Industrial Estate on calm days has left them unable to open their windows, enjoy their gardens or dry their clothes outside for fear of the odour clinging.
Megan Wemyss, whose son Alex turns three in May, said he would not play outside when it appeared, adding: “He’s having a party next month, so we’ll have to wait and find out if it’s affected by the smell then.”
It is also near-impossible to tell when or where the Peterhead pong will strike: when the P&J went to check it out, local resident Ian Martin called us up to tell us to get to the end of Greenacres Avenue as soon as possible.
That was where the smell was strongest that morning, and it certainly was pungent – oily and intense enough to give you a small headache.
And we were assured it got a lot worse. In fact, Mr Martin said he had friends and relatives whose chest would tighten up if they spent too long outside while the smell was at its most overpowering.
He said: “It’s just obnoxious, makes you feel sick. If you open your doors or windows, the smell will come in.”
‘Little bit of freedom’ spoiled
Another Greenacres resident who, like Mr Martin, had moved in around two and a half years ago, said an unexpected negative impact of the odour came as the coronavirus lockdown was easing in 2020.
The man, who asked not to be named, said: “Covid‘s still around, we all know, but there’s no restrictions as to people on your property.
“But when there was, and people were allowed to come into your back garden, that was even spoiled because of the smell coming in.
“The little bit of freedom we did have at certain times in the lockdowns was taken away from us too, because people would come around to see their friends and family in the garden, and then have to abandon the whole thing because people were saying, ‘What is going on?'”
The two men both believe the source of the Peterhead pong is the oil waste management company TWMA’s site on the industrial estate.
The firm has had a base at the Dales Industrial Estate for more than 20 years, but concerns over the smell started to be raised when people began to move into the new houses around three years ago.
Kicking up a stink
Mr Martin is among a number of Greenacres residents who have been e-mailing politicians and organisations over a course of months in an effort to draw attention to their plight.
Some who e-mailed TWMA directly were asked to send their query over to SEPA, the environmental agency that regulates and gives the company their Pollution Prevention and Control permit.
A SEPA spokeswoman said: “SEPA is aware of the concerns of some residents in Peterhead regarding odours in the area.
“In response, we are currently carrying out a series of investigations in this area to establish the source and severity of the odour issues.
“As part of this, SEPA will be visiting a number of sites in the area, including a programmed audit at TWMA, in the coming weeks.”
The agency also said it had worked with TWMA over the past 18 months and had implemented “a number of measures to reduce odours”, with “further action proposed”.
A statement from TWMA said: “Emissions, including odour, are monitored and recorded on a daily basis across the site.”
Work on the latest phase of the Greenacres project is continuing, with some six-bedroom homes going for up to £400,000.
However, the people who move into those homes may only learn about the Peterhead pong after they have settled in – like one resident, who arrived in the neighbourhood with her family in July last year and did not wish to be named.
She said: “When we moved in we were just told that there was occasional noise and light from the industrial estate, but that was it.
“No mention of potential smells.”
Claymore Homes has been approached for comment.
Aberdeenshire Council urged anyone with an environmental problem to report it by calling SEPA’s Pollution Hotline on 0800 807060 or by completing their online form.
