Palmerston North pong sourced
The source of the stench wafting over Palmerston North has been identified and its agricultural creator has been ordered to stop the activity responsible.
Horizons Regional Council regulatory manager Greg Bevin said while investigations continued, he could not give more details about the property or the type of activity responsible for the stink.
However, he would confirm it was being carried out on the outskirts of the city, and a stop to the actions was ordered.
A follow-up inspection on Friday morning confirmed the order had been complied with, and Horizons asked for further steps to be taken urgently to reduce the smell.
Bevin said the activity had been undertaken previously, and had not attracted any complaints about odour.
‘‘At present, we believe the combination of hot, humid weather and wind direction contributed to the incident.’’
Complaints about the smell started coming into Horizons’ pollution hotline on Wednesday night.
Lois Waghorn posted on Facebook, ‘‘Yes the last two days in Milson, smells like compost’’.
Others smelt it in Albert St, Aroha St, Hokowhitu, Kelvin Grove, Terrace End, and in The Square.
Belinda Combrink, owner of ESANZ, ‘Experience South Africa in New Zealand’, said the smell was at its worst on Wednesday and Thursday.
Luckily, the smell at the Milson shopping centre had subsided by Friday afternoon, she said.
‘‘It was a horrible stink. We all kept our doors closed.’’
Initially, she thought the farmlike smell was coming from a vehicle in the car park but it kept lingering long after the car had gone, Combrink said.
If the smell came back she would be quick to call the council, she said.
Reveal Hair and Beauty hairdresser Sheree Smith said she thought it smelt like silage.
‘‘It was really bad.’’ Customers weren’t happy about the smell, Smith said.