It’s no secret that London doesn’t always smell great. 1858’s ‘The Big Stink’ even saw people unable to leave their houses due to London’s pungent aroma. Recent research has analysed pollution levels, the prevalence of smoking, number of odour complaints, and more, to determine which is the smelliest London borough. And the number one winner? Westminster took the crown handily, with a final ‘Smelly Score‘ of 8.96 out of 10. The second worst smelling London borough was revealed to be Kensington & Chelsea, trailing behind Westminster with a comparatively rose-y ‘Smelly Score’ of 7.7.
It’s no real surprise, however, that Westminster rose to the top of the stinking heap. One of the busiest parts of London, they scored poorly when it came to CO2 emissions and odour complaints. And while Kensington & Chelsea may be one of the wealthiest parts of London, similarly poor scoring with CO2 emissions and odour complaints secured the second place ranking.
Camden rounded out the top three, with the runaway worst results when it came to fly-tipping and congestion. The relatively low prevalence of smoking in the area, and few odour complaints, saved them from a higher ‘Smelly Score’.
The report didn’t stop at just London’s boroughs, however, with smelly data for the rest of the UK also analysed. Outside of London, Kingston upon Hull had the highest ‘Smelly Score’ due to congestion levels and high numbers of smokers. But at 6.75 out of 10, they were still much less pungent than the smelliest London borough.