Marmalade parfum with river water ... from Manchester/UK

Splash it all over - it's scent of Irwell
DAN MCMULLAN

IT was once the dirtiest river in Europe. But now the waters of the river Irwell have been given the ultimate makeover … as the special ingredient in a new perfume.

A Manchester firm is marketing the fragrance which uses essence of Irwell as well as orange oil to create what is described as a "very distinctive" scent.

A limited edition of 200 bottles has been produced and it is hoped to have the product on sale in time for Christmas.

The perfume, called L'eau de Marmalade, has been produced by jam-making business Duerr's, which is based in Trafford Park and Wythenshawe.

Company bosses have created the fragrance to mark the 125th anniversary of the family firm.

Using orange oil from their suppliers in Seville, Spain, and a super-clean drop of water from the River Irwell, the company claims to have produced a tangy and passionate scent.

Managing director John Duerr said: "One of our orange suppliers in Seville also makes perfume oils and so we thought it would be a good idea to have a go for our 125th anniversary.

"Orange oil is used quite extensively as a scent in perfumes out in Spain and so we decided to make our own but with bitter orange as the main scent.

"It is already a popular ingredient in Spanish-made perfume so we have just bought the smell to the foreground and celebrated oranges from Seville with a drop of water from the Irwell. The perfume was made for us in Spain and we sent a couple of bottles of water out there and it was added to the perfume.

"So it's all there celebrating our ingredients and our link to the city."

John believes the unisex fragrance combines the spicy essence of cinnamon and a hint of citrus to induce the feel-good factor reminiscent of eating marmalade and will be a hit with men and women alike.

Marketing director Richard Duerr said: "We have been creating marmalade for 125 years and have always used the finest oranges from Seville.

"There has always been an association between taste and smell and L'eau de Marmalade incorporates these two senses and the fragrance really captures the smell of Seville."

The Irwell, which runs from Lancashire and is the border between Salford and Manchester, was reputedly the dirtiest river in Europe as it drove the Industrial Revolution.

And although it has been cleaned up, it remains one of the most polluted waterways in the country, with its chemical composition rated as "bad" by the Environment Agency.