Urine and faeces allegedly dumped at lift lobbies in Hougang for a year: 'The smell is unbearable'

For nearly a year, some residents of a Hougang HDB block have been plagued by a foul stench emanating from the lift lobby.

Urine and a brown substance believed to be faeces have allegedly been splashed on walls and belongings left along corridors, reported Shin Min Daily News.

A reporter from the Chinese evening daily recently visited Block 552 Hougang Street 51. The reporter detected a urine odour at the lift lobbies of the ground floor and the first five floors of the building.

A resident, who did not want to be named, said the smell had been an issue for quite some time.

"Sometimes, the urine smell is present up to five days a week. It is unbearable when we pass by the area on our way home," the resident said.

"To keep the smell out of our house, we keep the doors and windows tightly shut."

Another female resident, who also was not named, told Shin Min that the situation has persisted for almost one year.

She said she had once found an unpleasant smelling brown substance smeared on the walls and floor of the lift lobby.

"There was a small plastic bag nearby. I don't know if the culprit had collected the waste in the bag and brought it here," the woman added.

Urine purportedly splashed on person, bicycle

According to the report, a Xiaohongshu post alleged that a worker was splashed with urine while descending the block's staircase.

A resident living on the seventh floor, surnamed Dai, claimed urine had been splashed on her level at least 10 times since the start of 2026.

A homemaker on the 10th floor, surnamed Zhou, added that someone had splashed urine on her bicycle placed at the lift lobby several months back.

The Ang Mo Kio Town Council told Shin Min they are aware of the feedback and have put up notices reminding residents to be considerate neighbours and not urinate or excrete waste at common areas.

The National Environment Agency installed surveillance cameras on the fifth floor between May 28 and June 2 and conducted a joint inspection with the town council on June 3.

Man denies involvement

The residents suspected of being involved have been advised by the authorities, reported Shin Min.

When interviewed by Shin Min, an 82-year-old resident said his son was accused of being the culprit.

He said he had asked his son about the matter, but the latter became angry and denied involvement.

"He's under a lot of pressure and also has to take care of us two elderly. If there really is evidence, we will ask him again."

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