A broken sewage main has caused a partial closure of Point Finger Road with residents complaining of foul smells in the area.

A spokeswoman for the City of Hamilton said that the break happened opposite the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

“The city’s crews responded immediately to the line break to begin repair works,” the spokeswoman said yesterday.

“The city’s engineer along with his teams are liaising with the appropriate government resources to triage the situation.

“A closure for Point Finger Road will be in effect until the repair works are completed and will impact access to and from Point Finger Road. However, the hospital can still be accessed via Berry Hill Road.

“The city apologises to the area’s residents and businesses for the inconvenience. The city’s crews are working feverishly to correct the issue.”

As of 4pm yesterday, city staff remained on site working to address the problem.

A spokeswoman for the Bermuda Hospitals Board warned that the repair work was being carried out near the Emergency Department and air-intake units for the hospital building.

“Please note that as a result you may experience adverse odours not only outside the hospital but also inside,” she said.

“Bermuda Hospitals Board apologises for this unfortunate circumstance. The Corporation of Hamilton is working assiduously to rectify the situation.”

One area resident, who asked not to be named, said that a downpour of rain had caused the sewage water to travel further through the area than it otherwise would have.

“The smell is just horrific,” she said. “I had to shut all my windows. It’s like a punch in the face.

“I don’t think it would have gotten this far without the rain washing it everywhere. The water in the street was literally brown.”

Anyone with direct concerns is asked to contact Patrick Cooper, city engineer and COO at pcooper@cityhall.bm