A MALVERN man has to don a mask to water his plants because the stench of sewage from a nearby stream has become so unbearable, he claims.

People living in Tayside Way and Sycamore Close have also seen rats and have started to feel ill as a result of the problem.

Environmental health officers have confirmed sewage is clogging up a ditch by the stream, but are at a loss as to the cause.

Retired lorry driver Roly Fish has called for action and says residents are fed-up of the foul smell which has been wafting into their gardens for weeks.

Mr Fish, who lives in Tayside Way claims several people have complained of upset stomachs.

After a neighbour recently discovered a rat infestation in his shed, he forked out £20 to put down poison.

Mr Fish said the stench in his back garden is so bad he has taken to wearing a mask to water his tomato plants.

'Disgusting mess'

"It really is a grey, disgusting mess," said Mr Fish.

"You can see it beginning to build up in the stream about 10am and the smell hits you the most by early afternoon.

"Once the sun gets on the sewage the smell becomes really bad. It makes you feel sick.

"Since we discovered the rats it has made things worse."

The 65-year-old said a neighbour's dog had managed to catch at least one rat and chase off another. Since then families have spotted other rats scurrying around their back gardens.

He now fears the stream, which runs from a concrete culvert in Eastward Road, is a real health hazard.

Malcolm Robinson, from Malvern Hills District Council's environmental health department, said, as yet, officers had no idea about the source of the sewage.

"There is pollution in this ditch and we are a bit mystified as to where it is coming from," said Mr Robinson.

"We have checked several roads and used dye in an attempt to find the route into the culvert, with no luck.

"We think it could be either a blocked sewer pipe or a house which may have recently had a drainage pipe connected incorrectly.

"I do not deny rats are in the area, but the houses back on to large overgrown fields. I do not think the sewage is attracting the rats. There is no kitchen waste floating down."