A “nauseating” stench which drifts across parts of Chingford is forcing families to stay indoors during soaring temperatures.

Residents believe the “unbearable” mystery pong emanates from across the William Girling Reservoir in the nearby Ecopark, also known as the Edmonton incinerator.

But the Ecopark say there is no reason why the smell caused by their waste operation should have worsened in recent months.

But mother-of-one Hazel Norris of Valleyside, Chingford, says a number of family barbecues have been ruined by the stink and has contacted the council to complain.

She said: “The environment department at the council said that if the waste is being managed properly that there should not be any smell.

“Something seems to be fermenting and giving off a really bad smell. It would be nice to know what is causing it.

“We do not know what we’re breathing in. It is like a sewage smell, as if it was coming up from the drains. “And it has got worse with the heat.

"I want to know what they are going to do about it.

“It just smells like a massive rubbish bin. We shouldn’t have to put up with it.

"It's ruined quite a few family parties. All my friends and neighbours have been complaining about it." The plant in Advent Way, Edmonton, recycles household waste from seven boroughs, including Waltham Forest, and generates electricity for 24,000 homes.

An Ecopark spokeswoman said: “There are regular assessments when complaints are made about smells from the plant.

“The waste you have in your house is kept there for seven days then delivered to us and sometimes that waste can be smelly.

“We have a very strict health policies here and we work hard to be good neighbours.”

"It is easy to presume everything smelly is coming from here.

"But that is not always the case."

Are you having to suffer the smell? Call the newsdesk on 01992 572285.

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