The mystery surrounding a “toxic” smell at a newly built roundabout continues.
Work finished on the A20 Coldharbour Roundabout near Aylesford and Maidstone in November last year.
The intention of Kent County Council’s (KCC) £5 million improvement scheme was to transform the busy junction to reduce congestion and improve air quality.
But on June 30, KentOnline reported that many motorists had smelt a strong, unpleasant scent, rather than fresh air, for several weeks.
In response, Kent County Council denied that the junction is the source and suggested it comes from “industrial units” nearby at the 20/20 Business Park.
But when asked, the nearby businesses unanimously denied any responsibility for the mystery smell.
A spokesman from NHS Supply Chain said: “We have now heard back from our Maidstone site team and can confirm the smell isn’t coming from our site. We don’t hold or mix any kind of chemicals.”
However, they confirmed colleagues had noticed the scent, which was likened to TCP – an antiseptic product- when travelling through the roundabout.
This was echoed by the team at Kent Enviropower, who said it was also aware of the odours at the Coldharbour roundabout site.
It said: “The odours experienced there do not correlate with any of the processes or substances which are used on the Allington EFW site.
“The odours encountered on the Coldharbour roundabout have not been experienced on the Allington EFW site, nor the approach roads in the 20/20 business park. KEL maintains a strict set of measures to manage odours on site.”
Meanwhile, Brett Peto, asphalt area operations manager at Heidelberg Materials UK, said the industry was “well regulated” and its operations in Allington adhere to “strict health, safety and environmental guidelines”.
He added: “In addition, the production process does not use any chemicals which would cause a toxic odour.
“Our Allington asphalt plant is one of the most advanced in the UK.”
S&J Cleaning Systems, which had previously operated from the business park, told KentOnline it had relocated to Wrotham four months ago.
Breheny Civil Engineering, who were contracted to build the £5m project, has since been contacted for more information on the high friction surfacing used at the site.
In light of the response from companies operating at the 20/20 business park, KCC have been asked whether it could rule out that any of the materials used to build the roundabout were producing the smell.
Although KCC previously said the High Friction Surfacing meets its standard and design specifications, KentOnline asked whether the council would be reinvestigating.
Ian Lenehan from East Malling had noticed a “chemical” smell in a specific part of the roundabout on his way to work in Maidstone.
He said: “It smells of a phenolic compound, which is a very strong medicinal, acid-like smell.”
The 58-year-old added: “I know it to be a toxin, so when I smelled it here, I was rather concerned about the pungency of the smell.
“Before the smell here, everything was normal. We lived in the Kent countryside with beautiful fresh air – this is not fresh, this is toxic.
“I’m concerned that it might be damaging people’s health. We’ve got the hospital up the road, the hospice over here, and new schools being built in the area.
In a thread on Facebook, many others said the aroma was similar to Germolene – an antiseptic cream primarily used to treat minor cuts or scrapes.
It primarily contains two active ingredients: phenol and chlorhexidine digluconate.
Previously, KCC said: “The High Friction Surfacing (HFS) used meets our standards and design specifications.
“This material is widely used across Kent without similar issues, suggesting it is unlikely to be the source.
“Given the roundabout’s location next to the 20/20 Business Park, which includes industrial units such as Heidelburg Asphalt Supplies, S&J Cleaning Systems Ltd., NHS Supply Chain, and the Enviro Waste Centre, it is more likely that the odour originates from nearby industrial activity involving chemical use.”
KCC has been contacted for more information.
