Town Centre Stink?

Has anyone else noticed the putrid smell coming from the drains in Rochdale town centre at the moment, especially the bottom of Yorkshire St area? Every time you step over a personhole cover there is a foul smell wafting up at you.

I've only been in the centre a couple of times this week and thought it might just be a heat combined with rotting rubbish issue, but it is clearly "what lies beneath". I even did a search of Twitter this morning to see one young lady tweet "Rochdale stinks". She isn't wrong.

Funnily enough this is a very similar smell to the one I used to experience walking too and from Telegraph House into town almost every day during summer many years ago.

So is it bad drains or is it the shallow river? I still maintain that when that town centre river is running shallow it smells to high heaven. Therefore it will be even "sweeter" when it's wide open and exposed.  Oink, Mmmm nice!

Once it's open and properly accessible it can be kept clear. I suspect not much is done under there whilst it's 'out-of-sight'. Meanwhile - - - - 

But seriously how are they going to maintain it ? It does smell and once opened will smell even more have they got the funding and the manpower were will the funding come from ?

Jeanie wrote: were will the funding come from ?

There was talk of Rochdale's Victorian sewer network getting a £50million revamp, though why a sewer would want 'vamping', never mind re-vamping is a puzzle.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/50m-upgrade-for-sewer-network-in-rochdale-868877

Look out for those leaping salmon.

To bring us more up to date, is this road closure something to do with a collapsing sewer?

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/82351/roadworks-on-rochdales-strategic-network

Hope we don't see any "floaters"

Quite prevalent in my day Mulldog. So seriously - - - -. Most rivers suffer at some times from service's breaking down, accidental spillages or intentional dumping. It will happen on odd occasions but in the main the river across the town centre can be kept relatively clean and the resources for that will have to be found. In the old days the river served as an open outlet for sewage and thus stank quite frequently. This is no longer allowed. Don't equate old history with modern times as some way of making an invalid point. There are numerous open rivers through many towns across the country which add massive value to the town centres ambiance. Why should you think for one second Rochdale would be any different - unless of course you want it to be???

I am not sure that Mulldog 'wants' it to be Atlas.  What unnerves  me are people living OUTSIDE the town that seem to be hellbent on running our town down.   I am not pointing the finger at you Atlas, but ..... there ARE others; what say we put 'their' towns under the spotlight, eh?  I can guarantee that they are far from heaven on earth!

I know some people make a career of 'sounding off' about almost anything and there's little one can do about that other than to say 'get a life you sad sicko' - but I'm sure Mulldog isn't in that bracket. Just a little *issed off with the recession going on forever no doubt  . I wouldn't generally slag-off anyone else's habitat but might be inclined to add a little fuel to the fire in order to wake some people up as to their 'public' duties in the hope that it might just have some effect. That's probably Mulldogs raison d'etre. 

Atlas wrote:That's probably Mulldogs raison d'etre. 

I've had enough Swedish Industrial Ambient music to last me a life time thanks.

The short and the long of my observation is that the town centre smells horrible and I'm sure will smell worse once the river is open. I'm pretty sure visitors drinking frothy mocha latte's with coffee mustaches whilst sat on The Butts will think the same.

RMBC/United Utilities -can you have a powwow please?  

Sewerage systems are under pressure, a healthier diet for the population might help? Less toxic takeaways and more healthy salads?

Will anything of archeological interest be found as work goes on to open up the river?



Loads of forgotten architecture, roads, medieval houses and Victorian tunnels have been found under Liverpool, this is a bit of one.