Worcester's sewage caused a stink in city, says Mike Pryce

And that was what took him, his notebook and a photographer down to Worcester’s Bromwich Road Sewage Works in the mid-summer of 1974.

Although as Mike was quick to point out, it was by then rejoicing under the new title of Worcester Water Reclamation Works, having been taken over from the City Council by the newly created Severn and Trent Water and Land Drainage  Authority, better known as Severn Trent now. 

The complex operation which saw a huge sewer pipe laid beneath the Severn from Pitchcroft to Hylton Road in 1979

However, it was a case of new operators, same old problem. For his story began: “The saga of the sewage works smell has been with Worcester on and off for 40 years, but it is now reckoned to be worse than ever, permeating almost half the city.”

Because as well as much of St John’s, the “sickening smell” was wafting across the river to affect areas like Bath Road and Timberdine Avenue. On a good day with a following wind, it reached Redhill

But that was not the sole reason for Mike’s visit. He was there to check out a cunning plan the new water authority had come up with to tackle the pong. Some bright spark, probably in its “projects division”, had suggesting copying the popular Lifebuoy soap ad of the day and ridding the sewage works of its BO problem by overpowering it with an acceptable smell.

The long hot summer of 1976 saw Bromwich Road resident Joan Jones, who lived opposite the sewage works, kicking up a stink

To that end an armoury of sprayers were installed at the site to propel what Mike called “a popular deodorant” into the air. It was 1974, so what would that have been? Hi Karate? Denim? Brut?

Read more: When Worcester was the UK's largest inland oil port

All of which led to the prospect of a chap, having doused himself in his latest purchase from Boots with the aim of pulling at the Bank House on a Friday night, being rebuffed with: “You smell like a sewage works, mate!”

Needless to say the cunning plan didn’t work, especially two years later in 1976, which was one of the hottest  summers on record with many people in St John’s unable to open their windows.

By and large today the problem seems to have disappeared. More investment, better machinery and better systems, have meant the St John’s Smell is no longer an easy turn-to on a slow news day in summer.

What a way to spend your day. Repairing underground sewer pipes in 1970

As well as the sewage and water treatment works, there are well over 200 miles of sewer pipes criss-crossing beneath the streets of Worcester and all have to be looked after, checked and the log jams cleared.

So if you worry the next time the loo gets blocked. then have a care for the people who have to tackle a 4ft diameter sewer. In fact the work has spawned a television series. Which can be quite entertaining, as sewer men (and probably sewer women too) appear to be a certain breed. Doing a difficult job without managing to end up in the ****.