Stench stalls work at train station (From Warrington Guardian)

Stench stalls work at train station

VOLUNTEERS have abandoned attempts to improve the appearance of Knutsford Railway Station because of the stench from a broken pipe.

Caryll Blake said the smell was unbearable for her group who had been tidying the grounds.

"We had to discontinue everything because of the appalling smell," she said.

"The group doesn't want to go back until it's put right."

United Utilities said it had inspected the site at Knutsford Train Station at least three times and found no problem.

The company said a blocked toilet near the area had been discovered, but that was on the rail company's land.

Last week Mrs Blake told the Guardian how six months ago she and her friends had formed a group to tidy Knutsford Railway Station after officials appealed for help.

The volunteers had met on the platform as they travelled to work each morning.

Mrs Blake, a legal secretary who works in Manchester, said they had made improvements during the summer but some soon noticed the smell of waste coming from a pipe near the station office.

"I've been attempting to contact United Utilities about it for months now but nothing has happened," she said.

"I haven't got time to constantly be on to them about it."

Last week station staff revealed the foul odour from the pipe had affected them for at least five years.

They said the stench became worse during hot weather or when it rained heavily. "The public complain about it as well," said a spokesman.

Last year the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership appealed for volunteers to help maintain the station.

The five volunteers went on to clear rubbish from the site and prune trees in the small garden near the ticket office.

They now want to lay wood chippings.

But Mrs Blake said the smell from the pipe was preventing them from continuing the work.

"It's a shame," she said. "The little gardens in the train station are quite pretty."

As the Guardian went to press water company officials were again due to inspect the site outside the ticket office.

"It's a bit of a mystery really," said a spokesman. "It can be difficult to pinpoint sometimes."