STINKING sewage seeped through the floor of a newsagent's shop in Brentwood High Street – and cooking fat blocking the sewers was to blame.
Rajan and Mangala Jhanjee, who have owned Paradise Stores for 13 years, were shocked to discover rancid smelling water seeping through the floor directly below where they keep their pick and mix and other confectionery.
Mr Jhanjee told the Gazette: "Customers complained of the stench.
"I switched on the air conditioning and lit joss sticks to try to get rid of it."
Mrs Jhanjee added: "The smell was awful and we could not work out where it was coming from.
"I have spoken to Environmental Health and no-one can help me.
"I can still smell it."
The 130-year-old store, is the oldest on Brentwood High Street and has always been a tobacconist and confectioners.
Mr Jhanjee said: "We rely on our regular customers.
"When I first arrived here we had a 91-year-old who said he had used the shop since he was a boy.
"We currently have a family of four generations who always buy from here too."
He added: "We do not need this kind of problem in the shop."
A spokesman for Thames Water said: "A CCTV investigation was carried out in Brentwood High Street and it showed that sewer pipes had become blocked with fat.
"We used a jet hose to clear the blockage but the sewers need a more thorough clean to help them run freely."
He added: "We are arranging with the customer for the most convenient time to carry this out. Fat should never be put down the drains as it congeals into disgusting fatbergs that block our sewers."
