centre street.

One young professional was hit by the stench going down Bermudiana Road.

And he said: "It was stomach-churning. It smelt like an open sewer mixed with diesel oil.

"It seemed to be worst at the corner of Gorham Road and Bermudiana Road, around the top end of the old (Bermudiana) hotel building site.

"The smell was disgusting -- it really put me off my lunch.'' But yesterday Corporation of Hamilton secretary Roger Sherratt said his staff had checked out sewers in the area and found nothing wrong.

He said: "There certainly doesn't appear to any problem with sewage.'' But he admitted: "There was a smell of diesel oil which was rather pungent.'' And he speculated the smell could have been caused by work on the new ACE/EXEL headquarters on the site of the old hotel.

Mr. Sherratt said: "They are moving a lot of soil and landfil from that site.

"It might well be that they have touched on some of the parts which had diesel fuel in them. But we can't find anything traceable to the sewer system.''