Mysterious foul smell leaves residents in Shropshire village with headaches
Some residents have blamed either the landfill or a local council estate as the origin of the smell
Residents in a quaint Shropshire village have been plagued by a mystery smell so bad it has left some of them suffering from severe migraines.
Locals in Muxton, Shropshire, first noticed the stench in January, describing an "overpowering" waste scent with a chemical undertone whose origin no one has managed to pinpoint.
"It really smacks you in the face. It comes and goes, and it is difficult to describe, but when you leave the house, it is really noticeable," said resident Laura Stoner, from Ryder Drive in Muxton, who has lived in the area for four years.
"Some days it is so bad that it triggers migraines or headaches for me and I had to take two weeks off work because of it."
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Stoner said the smell is sometimes so bad she can't hang her washing outside, while parents at her son's school have also complained about the stench
She said: "One of them thinks it could be coming from the nearby landfill, and somebody else said it could be coming from the new estate near Asda, but I don't know what it is."
Another resident, 28-year-old Danny Vurlan, has experienced headaches caused by the 'grim' smell too and said it is so bad it can make you 'gag'.
"Its just horrendous and I'm worried for our health. After a bit of time, it starts giving you a headache, like that feeling you get if you stay in a bathroom with bleach in for too long," he said.
Iain Alexander, chairman of Muxton Parish Council, said he doubted the smell was coming from a landfill.
He said: "We do often get smells from farmers when they are spreading on their fields but I don't think it can be from the landfill site as that is more than five miles away."
Alexander said that the smell should be reported to Telford & Wrekin Council. Stoner said she was unable to report it to the council as the website doesn't appear to have anywhere to report smells.