A foul smell on Front Street has been pinpointed to a broken main sewage pipe, the City of Hamilton said yesterday.

The odour, which has plagued the junction with King Street for at least two weeks, was at first blamed on the release of “odorous residual grease” as a result of a blocked main.

But a spokeswoman for the City yesterday said the source of the problem was now believed to be a fracture in the force main.

She said: “Crews are endeavouring to do pipeline camerawork in the area this afternoon.

“Once the fracture has been identified, a trenching schedule will be confirmed, and traffic management will be in place so that work to repair the fracture and resolve the issue can take place with expediency.

“Motorists are asked to be aware of this development and to be on the lookout for signage in the area.

“There are many moving parts to resolve the issue and the City thanks the general public in advance for their patience and understanding as it makes these necessary repairs to the City infrastructure.”