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Stobswell smell reports prompt environment probe

Discovery Flexibles in Stobswell, Dundee.
Discovery Flexibles in Stobswell, Dundee.

A probe has been launched into reports of a bad smell in the Stobswell area of Dundee.

A member of the public has reported an unpleasant odour in the area, including in parts of Baxter Park.

A team from regulator The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) are now looking into the reports.

Claims smell linked to packaging company

One man got in touch with The Courier to claim the smell was linked to packaging company Discovery Flexibles and its plant on Kemback Street.

He said there had been “a constant smell for the last month in the surrounding area, even in Baxter Park”.

The source claimed that faulty machinery at the plant was to blame for the odour having worsened in recent weeks.

Another local woman, who did not wish to be named, backed the claims.

“It’s been going on for years. It smells like nail polish,” she said.

A member of staff prepares to print at Discovery Flexibles.
A member of staff prepares to print at Discovery Flexibles.

A Sepa spokesperson said: “We received a report from a member of the public of an odour at Discovery Flexibles in Dundee.

“Officers are undertaking investigations at the site.”

As Sepa completes their investigation, we asked Stobswell residents if they had noticed the alleged odour.

No smell in Stobswell?

Several members of the public said that they have never noticed a smell coming from Discovery Flexibles.

Lesley Butler visits Baxter Park near the site several times a day. She told us that she has never smelled anything like that in park or the surrounding area.

James Cosgrove, 41, who walks his dog in the park said: “I come here every single night, and I have never smelled anything.”

One worker at the plant suggested ongoing road and building works at the site may be to blame for any new unpleasant smells.

What are Discovery Flexibles saying?

The Discovery Flexibles plant operates under strict global standards for packing and packaging products, according to the company’s website.

“Rigorous testing and monitoring procedures are applied throughout the manufacturing process.

“Our policy of ‘getting it right first time’ is maintained from the moment raw materials enter our factory until the finished product is delivered to the customer,” the website states.

The company’s profits soared to their highest in 25 years in 2021.

They have been manufacturing on the Kemback Street site since 1866, moving from jute into plastics.

Discovery Flexibles did not respond to multiple requests to comment on the Sepa investigation.

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