Visitors to Verulamium Lake and boating pond need to take a nose peg according to a concerned councillor because it ‘really stinks’..

District council Labour group leader, Cllr Martin Leach, said that when he visited the lake at Verulamium Park in St Albans at the weekend, he found it smelled horrible.

Floodwaters at the lake are still receding and recent heavy rain this week has seen it burst its banks again in places.

But Cllr Leach said: “There is just lots of duck poo. If you visit, you need to take a nose peg. I’m a regular visitor there as I have two small children.

“As a result of the floodwater going down and not really a lot of action from council to clean it up, it smells from the debris and poo.”

He questioned how nearby residents and businesses were coping with the pong, which he described as ‘not attractive for the area’, and the sight of the edges coated with debris and water fowl excrement.

St Albans council’s head of community services, Richard Shwe, said: “We have been down to look at the flood residue by the lake in Verulamium Park. It is not very pleasant and we will get it swept as soon as possible.

“Our contractor aims to sweep the paths at least weekly. There is some water damage to the grass area which we will sort out once the area has fully dried out.

He added:” We understand the importance of keeping the park well maintained and shipshape for residents to enjoy and we try hard to do this. Thank you for drawing this matter to our attention.”