DISGUSTED homeowners have described an 'absolutely putrid' stink as one councillor sniffed out the source in the hope a solution can be found.

The 'sewage' stench has emerged at Racefield Meadow at the bottom of Dugdale Drive in Warndon Villages with the issue brought to public attention in the Warndon Villages Community Group.

Residents, writing on the Facebook group, said the problem had been there 'for months' and described the smell as 'just rancid' and 'absolutely disgusting' while some said it even scares off visitors.

PATH: The smell has been reported in a wide area of Warndon Villages between Dugdale Drive and Newtown Road PATH: The smell has been reported in a wide area of Warndon Villages between Dugdale Drive and Newtown Road (Image: Newsquest)

The stink has been affecting a widespread area near Racefield Meadow, including Lister Avenue and Rowntree Gardens.

Residents have identified the foul smell as emanating from near the footpath between Newtown Road and the bottom of Dugdale Drive.

Cllr Andrew Cross, a Green Party county councillor for Leopard Hill, followed his nose and visited the site himself to gauge the extent of the issue.

He believes the stink may be caused by a partially blocked sewage pipe.

The issue will create even more of a stink after environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey exposed dangerous levels of E.coli in the River Severn and phosphate levels six times higher than the Environment Agency's upper limit.

Severn Trent told LBC, which ran an article, that 'one-off tests like this can be misleading with the risk of wrong conclusions being drawn'.

However, Cllr Cross said: "Many local residents are justifiably concerned about pollution in local rivers and watercourses. A recent survey by Feargal Sharkey found gruesome contamination levels of E.coli in the river Severn.

"Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident, and not just a local issue. The Rivers Trust have an online map showing the sewage discharges into UK rivers last year. It makes grim reading."

He told residents he had reported the matter to Severn Trent Water and was told an engineer would attend any time over the next six days between 8am and 10pn daily. 

SMELL: The smell is strongest on a path which runs between Dugdale Drive and Newtown Road in Warndon Villages, Worcester SMELL: The smell is strongest on a path which runs between Dugdale Drive and Newtown Road in Warndon Villages, Worcester (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Cross said: "I believe it's a partly blocked pipe. Not sure I can honestly say it's sewage spilling into a watercourse but Severn Trent has been good at responding quickly to other issues I have raised recently."

He said he had noticed the smell between Gresley Road and the junction of the roundabout with Wainwright Road and had been in touch with the Highways team which manages gullies. 

MAP: The location of the smell which has caused upset in Warndon Villages in Worcester MAP: The location of the smell which has caused upset in Warndon Villages in Worcester (Image: Supplied)

He added: "A local resident posted late Friday on Facebook about a nasty smell near Racefield Meadow, so I went up on Saturday lunchtime to check it out.

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"It was a windy day, which didn't make it easier, but after literally "following my nose" I soon found where the stink was coming from. It was not a highways drain managed by our county council, so I contacted Severn Trent who responded quickly via WhatsApp and advised they would attend within six days.

"It wasn't too grim, but in the summer months on calm days it may have been bad. Several people commented on it smelling there."

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We have received a report of an odour coming from a manhole in Racefield Meadow and have scheduled a team to attend the site as soon as possible.”