YORK’s worst areas for bad smells have been revealed.

City of York Council’s Environmental Protection Unit said it had received the most complaints about the smell of waste coming from Harewood Whin, the waste management site in Rufforth, followed by complaints about cooking odours in Blake Street and smells coming from Naburn sewage works.

Complaints were also made about cooking smells in Goodramgate and muck spreading in Hodgson Lane, in Upper Poppleton.

Coun Roger Lee, chairman of Rufforth and Naburn Parish Council, said: “The main problem with Harewood Whin has been the smell of methane gas from the site.

“You do not get used to the smell – it can be very overpowering at times, depending on which way the wind is blowing.”

Thirteen complaints have been made about Harewood Whin to the council from April 2010 to 2011 and the Environment Agency said it had received 23 complaints over a similar period although a spokesman said work to improve the gas system had recently led to a drop in complaints.

The Tinker Lane site is run by Yorwaste Ltd which was earlier this year given the go-ahead to build to composting pads for green waste on land neighbouring the landfill operation. Mr Lee said the parish council opposed plans to develop the green belt around the site.

Meanwhile, four complaints were made to the council about the odour in Blake Street and Naburn sewage works and three about Goodramgate and Hodgson Lane.

Two complaints were made about the smell of cooking odour and sewage in Blossom Street, about animal odours in Eastfield Lane in Dunnington and the smell of sewage at Rawcliffe Sewage Works.

Individual complaints were made about the smell of manure in Black Dykes Lane in Upper Poppleton, of cooking odour in Fishergate, Huntington Road and High Petergate, the odour of rotting vegetation at Howden Hill in Naburn, animal odours in James Street and in Wheldrake, chemical odours in Rawcliffe Lane and Station Rise and cigarette smoke in The Mount.

Coun John Galvin said the smell from Naburn sewage works had caused “some distress” for residents in Bishopthorpe and he hoped to work with Yorkshire Water to address the problem.