DEVELOPERS say they have taken action on a lingering rotten egg smell which has plagued a coastal village for years.

Septic sewage was revealed as the cause of the smell at a pumping station in Rowhedge.

The rancid smell emanating from the area has been bothering residents for years.

Colchester councillors Mike Lilley and Lee Scordis have been trying to discover the cause of the unpleasant odour and ensure action is taken to eliminate it.

Now it has been confirmed the foul stink is from the pumping station at the Bloor Homes’ Rowhedge Wharf development.

Its ownership will be transferred to the water authority once all work is complete.

A spokesman for Bloor Homes said: “We can confirm there was recently an issue of septic material discharging from the end of our rising main and a bad smell was reported from a chamber close to the entrance of our development.

“It was initially suspected it was due to the foul sewer system not running at capacity and having suffered some breakdowns, there was a build-up of septic material within the rising main and this was causing the smell.

“In agreement with Anglian Water and Colchester environmental health officers, we tried jetting the main to clear it, but the odour issue remained.

“Bloor Homes was subsequently served with an odour abatement notice by Colchester environmental health officers, which obliges us to install and maintain a chemical dosing unit at our pump station.

“This was installed and commissioned in November and early reports suggest that this has now solved the issue.”

An unannounced site visit was carried out by Environmental Health Officers in Rowhedge High Street last month.