A massive sewage leak has left several suburbs smelling ‘like a toilet’ as the stinking deluge entered a major river system.
The spill began on Friday when a sewer main burst on Hamilton Road in Spearwood, south Perth.
The leak made its way into the Swan River, spreading the stench to Beaconsfield, Alfred Cove, Applecross and South Fremantle.
Spearwood Park was left inundated by the putrid sludge while the Fremantle commercial and recreational fishing harbour has also been affected.
Authorities have since managed to stop the waste from running into the Swan River by making custom-made pipes, but the cleanup will take some time.
‘Went out to look and you could smell it,’ a Beaconsfield resident told Channel Nine.
‘It smells like a toilet.’
The City of Fremantle on Monday night warned residents to avoid the Fishing Boat Harbour.
The deluge of human waste overflowed and spilled into Spearwood Park, south of Perth (pictrued)
The spill began on Friday when a sewer main burst on Hamilton Road in Spearwood, with sewage since overflowing into Perth’s Swan River (pictured, related overflow)
‘Sewage has been identified at the stormwater drain at the southern end of Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour,’ a spokesman said.
‘As a result, the groyne in the Fishing Boat Harbour is closed until further notice.’
A groyne is a low wall built out into the sea to reduce erosion.
A spokeswoman from the government water authority Water Corporate warned Spearwood and Beaconsfield residents the smell would remain for some time as the ‘complex’ cleanup continued.
‘Instead of being able to weld a band around that pipeline, we’re having to prefabricate a new section of pipeline,’ she said.
Water Corporate erected signs near the pool of human waste at Spearwood Park warning people not to sail or jet ski on the water, swim in it or drink it.
Photos shared to social media on Friday showed suburban streets covered in inches of waste water as council workers cornered off the areas.
