The Bicycle Nation shop in Herne Hill has been affected since June, when the smell first hit and caused one employee, Nick, to vomit. Owner Tamas Polocz has complained repeatedly to Thames Water. Last week the utility accepted that a mains sewer directly beneath the shop is to blame, but has not offered any date for resolving the problem.
Polocz and his 11-strong team have been logging the odour on a "smell chart", noting at least five incidents per day with descriptions including "cabbage", "teargas", "onions", "spicy BBQ" and repeated references to "shit". The stench is believed to be caused by untreated sewage stuck in drains, likely due to a lack of rain over summer.
The Guardian reported that upon first arriving at the shop there was a whiff of rotten eggs, but within minutes a repulsive gas overwhelmed the air. Polocz said he and his colleagues fear for their physical and mental health from repeated exposure, and the outlook for the business is bleak.