For neighbors who have been complaining about the stench at Martin Pork Products on Woodleaf Road, the proof was in the smell Monday.

And the proof stank.

A truck hauling discarded hog parts away from the meat processing plant sloshed out some of its contents at the intersection of Statesville and Jake Alexander boulevards. The resulting smell turned stomachs. The clerk at a nearby convenience store said customers drove on rather than gas up their cars amid the stench.

Imagine what neighbors put up with each day when the waste parts —“offal,” in official butchering lingo —are loaded onto the truck. They have complained about both the noise and the smell of the plant, and the operators have tried to respond.

If there’s not some kind of environmental fine to levy against the offending truck, there ought to be —for the sake of both the general public and Martin Meat Products. Monday’s accidental spill may have undone whatever progress Martin has made toward curtailing its offensive odors. The spill certainly widened the circle of people who can attest to the unbelievable smell this plant can produce.