Smell You Later, Greystones

Old fish factory (now Meridian Point). Colourised by GG.

ot since the glory, gory days of the fish factory on the main street has Greystones had a stink this bad…

And we’re not the only ones, with people in Bray, Kilpedder and beyond crying foul smell too.

The initial belief was that, hey, it’s that time of year when farmers have to spread a little slurry love about the place, and we should all just hold our breaths, grin, and bear it.

The memory kinda lingers…

We kinda still live in the country, after all.

More than any mackerel mankiness though the whole town was beginning to smell like the gone-but-not-missed public toilets down at the old harbour. That was a smell that could knock a horse off its feet at fifty paces.

As it happens, toilets would appear to be the true source of this fetid feck-up, Uisce Éireann now confirming that there is an issue with the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Greystones, along with a number of others around the country.

Thanks to the generally hot and dry weather that took Ireland by surprise this summer.

Currently on the case, their crews should be able to sort out whatever is causing such pungent and putrid blockages.

Donal from Uisce Éireann got in touch. “Operators are on site daily and proactively monitor for odours and checks are also completed of all Odour Control Units.

It can take just one big Pooh…

“It is important to note that odour complaints can arise for a variety of reasons, such as lack of rainfall – which impacts the dilution effect in a combined sewer network; temperature, which can naturally give rise to odour issues – and the extent and condition of industrial loading into the sewer network.”

When they manage a, eh, breakthrough, we’ll let you know.

In the meantime, you might want to dip those old lockdown masks in some rose water…