Poop train: 4,500 tons of faeces left rotting in Alabama town

An Alabama town has attracted an unwelcome claim to fame, thanks to a legal battle which has made it the home of a “poop train” carrying 10 million pounds of excrement.

Dozens of rail cars filled with biowaste - chemically treated human waste - have been stranded in Parrish, Alabama for weeks as a result of a legal dispute.

The problem began when residents of nearby West Jefferson won an injunction to block the Big Sky waste landfill site in Adamsville from storing biowaste in their town.

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In February, Big Sky moved the rail cars containing the waste, most of which originates from the north-eastern US, to sidings in Parrish, where they have remained ever since.

Two months on from the arrival of the unwelcome delivery, the mayor of the tiny town - population 982 - has warned that the situation is becoming intolerable.

“It greatly reduces the quality of life," Heather Hall told CNN. “You can't sit out on your porch. Kids can't go outside and play, and God help us if it gets hot and this material is still out here.”

As of yesterday, the mercury had already reached 27C. Residents told CNN that the smell emanating from the rail cars “smelled like dead bodies” and had become so intense that they can hardly stand to open their doors.

However, environmental agencies have told Hall that they cannot order the cars to be removed because, despite the offputting stench, biowaste is not hazardous to health.

For their part, the New York Department of Environmental Protection told the Wall Street Journal that the state has halted deliveries of the foul-smelling sludge to the Alabama site - but that it won’t accept any return shipments.

Hall said that filing an injunction against Big Sky could result in a legal battle which would keep the poo-laden rail cars in Parrish even longer.

“My understanding is [state officials] are really trying to work on the problem, and they keep telling us the situation is almost over,” she said.

“People need to understand that this waste does not need to be in a populated area,” she added. “This shouldn't be happening.”