People living near Thames Water’s Acton pumping station met with company representatives to discuss the health risk and noxious smell from the site, Tom Michael writes.

More than 100 people attended the meeting in Rugby Road, Acton, including heads of residents’ associations, members of Hammersmith and Fulham and Ealing councils and Hammersmith and Fulham MP Andy Slaughter .

Drainage problems in the station’s storm tanks in Warple Way have meant rainwater, mixed with raw sewage, has been collecting since a storm in June, causing what chairman of the Southfields Park Triangle Residents’ Association Don Tanswell called an ‘intensely foul odour’.

Dr Vikash Reebye, senior research fellow at Hammersmith Hospital , said residents could be at risk of asthma, chronic lung disease and skin conditions from the gases and particles in the air, as well as additional problems associated with fly larvae accumulating in nearby gardens and balconies. He said: “It only takes one pathogen based incident in a six-month-old child for this to turn from a serious issue to a catastrophic one.”

Made worse by hot weather over the summer months, the smell has forced some people to keep doors and windows closed and avoid venturing into their gardens, although others said this was not possible at times due to the heat. Mark Danks whose flat in Warple Way overlooks the tanks, said: “In an energy-efficient building where we don’t even need heating in the winter, closing the windows in summer is simply not an option.”

Schools and businesses have been affected. Simon Prebble, headteacher of Southfield Primary School in Southfield Road, said the smell was affecting the children’s learning, as well as forcing teachers to reduce the time pupils spend outside.

Thames Water said it is trying to fix the problem, caused by blockages and the failure of the storm tanks’ drainage and automated cleaning systems.

Many residents were critical of the time it has taken the company to find a solution, and MP Andy Slaughter called for ‘clear assurances’ from the firm the issue will be resolved within two weeks.

At the meeting on October 1, Thames Water promised to provide clear details of works to fix the problem as soon as dates are confirmed, but many residents say this is not enough.

An online petition calling on Ealing Council to force the company to act has so far gathered more than 250 signatures.