AN area frequently blighted by putrid smells was hit with a 'rotting egg' stench for 24 hours – but no-one knows why.

More than 100 Runcorn residents took to Facebook on Tuesday night to complain about a 'vile egg and sewer' odour that could be detected across the whole town.

The issue is an ongoing problem for residents, who have previously blamed the source of a re-occurring stench on the town’s energy-from-waste incinerator in Weston Point.

In June, a lawyer announced he was leading 153 households in a compensation effort over smells coming from the incinerator but there is nothing to suggest this was the case on Tuesday.

In October, dozens of residents opposed plans to burn more waste at the site out of for fear they would be forced to 'suffer more smells'.

The smell was detected across Runcorn including in Hallward Park, Murdishaw, Halton Lodge, Brookvale, Halton Brook, Palacefields, Grangeway and Castlefields according to social media posts.

Describing the smell, one person posted on social media: “It's bad. It smells like the fields have thrown something up from sewers.”

Another resident added: “Bad eggs, it was so strong in Preston brook before. Vile.”

A spokesperson from Halton Borough Council confirmed they had received a number of complaints regarding the smell.

However she said environmental officers were unable to detect the source of it when out investigating.

She said: ” A member of staff from our Environmental Health team attended the Murdishaw area following a very small number of calls from members of the public reporting an unusual smell.

"Our investigations could find no obvious cause or source of the smell, which has now disappeared."