Hundreds of complaints about a nasty stench have been made in Timaru in recent months. Photo: 123RF
Almost 250 further complaints about horrid stenches in Timaru have been received by the Canterbury Regional Council.
By the end of February, 133 complaints had been received about offensive, strong odours in Washdyke and northern Timaru.
That number has now risen to 382.
Residents have described it as a meaty smell, similar to offal.
Eleven separate odour events since December were under investigation, one of the most recent being on 23 April, when 44 complaints were made, said council spokesperson Gina Slee.
"There's a lot of information required to work through as part of the investigation, and we thank the community for their patience. We are unable to make any further comment while the investigation continues," she said.
"There will be more information released about each of these events at the conclusion of this investigation."
The investigating team were continuing to respond to and investigate reports of odour, Slee said.
"We encourage people affected by offensive or objectionable odour in the Timaru north area to continue using the Smelt-it website (smelt-it.web.app) to report it. We will continue working directly with consent holders to monitor compliance with air discharge consents."
One company has been fined $1000 for an unrelated "acute odour discharge" on 26 February.
It was also fined $750 for breaching an abatement notice.