A DIRTY canal has been causing a stink among neighbours following an eight-year battle to get it cleaned out. Residents living around Wapping s canal have been urging Tower Hamlets council to clean up the water between Spirit Quay and Waterman Way for mo

A DIRTY canal has been causing a stink among neighbours following an eight-year battle to get it cleaned out.

Residents living around Wapping's canal have been urging Tower Hamlets council to clean up the water between Spirit Quay and Waterman Way for more than eight years.

The area has recently been swamped with falling rotten leaves which have been causing a stench.

Council bosses insist their contractors Bow Landscapes clean the canal twice a week.

But residents claim that although staff "occasionally" clear the leaves from the top of the water there is still silt building up and they are failing to fully clean-out the canal.

Rod Mitchell who lives in Waterman Way said: "There has been a terrible smell.

"These leaves should not have been allowed to build up in the first place. It is a lovely local amenity for people to enjoy.

"But the canal has not been properly cleaned-out for eight years."

A council spokeswoman said: "This area of the canal's watercourse is routinely cleaned twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays this means removing leaves, litter and debris.