Residents in Valletta Road, Qormi had to endure the nauseating smell of sewage on Tuesday when debris blocked a manhole following a similar fault between Għargħur and Naxxar.

Early on Tuesday afternoon, sewage flowed down the hill from Naxxar and Lija. The Water Services Corporation said the flow shifted to the Qormi area until a considerable amount of straw was cleaned out. However, debris, including rags and rope, was carried into Qormi, where it blocked another manhole.

Mark Muscat, the corporation's CEO, said such situations cost a lot of time, money and resources, not to mention the inconvenience to residents and drivers. He appealed to the public not to dump any sort of material into the sewer system and to report anyone who did so.