Residents have complained of 'appalling' sewage smells in several parts of Oxford today.

A resident of Iffley Turn in Oxford said he has seen raw sewage in Barracks Lane culvert which runs directly into the Thames.

He said: "It smells foul. The smell was appalling this morning and I thought, maybe the farmers are spreading manure."

The culvert was formerly an open ditch but is now concrete.

He said: "This happened six to nine months ago as well. It happens sporadically. The culvert runs north of Cowley Road all the way past the golf course to the Thames.

"It's quite tricky to see if there's sewage in there but you do see the odd floater. Right now it's quite clear with bits and bobs floating in it. I haven't seen any loo paper."

Meanwhile, 'a horrendous sewage smell' was reported by a reader in the city centre in the afternoon.

He explained: "It's a sewage-like stench, as if someone has been clearing out drains. It's actually coming in to the building where I am working.

"Everyone's talking about it. It almost seems to covering the city centre."

Thames Water said there have been no discharges from its permitted storm overflow points but will investigate.

A spokesperson said they would consult operational teams to check if they have received any reports.