A 'vile' smell has been keeping residents awake in Littlemore. 

Russell Kingston said for the third night in less than a week he's had to close his windows due to the 'mysterious noxious smell'. 

The last thing you want during a heatwave.   

Mr Kingston, who lives on St George's Manor, near Sandford Road, said other residents had also experienced the same foul smell.

He said: "The last two nights, at midnight, the smell has woken me up.

"It's a vile smell resembling burning electrics or burning rubber. 

"It's really strong and makes the back of your throat sore."

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He added: "Some have suggested it may be coming from the sewage treatment works near the Science Park and the wind direction would back this up but it's not the smell of sewage.

"A neighbour thought it cold be bio gas from the same facility."

He said he has reported the foul odour to Oxford City Council via the authority's online portal.

He added: "It really is a pungent vile smell and wherever its coming from it cannot be right to be in the atmosphere."

Thames Water, which manages Oxford sewage treatment works, said it was not aware of anything at the works which could have caused the smell described.

A spokesperson said: “At Oxford sewage treatment works, as with all our sites, we work hard to ensure our essential service impacts neighbouring homes and businesses as little as possible.

“This includes reducing odour on site through measures such as regular maintenance, cleaning and odour control units, which are designed to capture and take away the smelly gases produced during the sewage treatment process.”

A city council spokesperson said: “We have received complaints about bad smells and we are investigating these with the Thames Water treatment plant and neighbouring councils.

"We believe that treated sewage spreading on agricultural land is the main cause of these complaints.”