Residents complain of 'unbearable' sewage smell

Resident Marcus Collett said the smell this year from the nearby sewage works had been "unbearable"

Residents of a housing estate in Kent have complained that the smell of sewage has blighted their summer.

Little Burton estate has suffered from odours since it was built, about a quarter of a mile from Ashford Wastewater Treatment Works.

Plumber and local resident Marcus Collett said the smell this summer had been "unbearable in hot weather", adding: "It's embarrassing when you have people round, as they comment on the stink."

Southern Water, which runs the site, said that it had been repairing a mechanical failure which controlled odour levels.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of the first week of October, the water firm said.

Tankers containing sewage from other areas enter and exit the sewage works in Kinney Lane at regular intervals

The treatment works also receives sewage waste for processing from sources other than the mains, including cesspits, and sees a steady stream of tankers depositing their load each day.

Graeme Dutch, who lives on the estate, said the smell had been going on for so long that he had become "nose blind" to it.

"I'm concerned that the area has got a reputation for smelling bad," he said.

"We've taken our house off the market as it wasn't generating a lot of interest."

Meanwhile, Hema Duraiswany, who has been a Little Burton resident for 12 years, compared the smell to "rotting animal meat".

Graeme Dutch has taken his home in Little Burton off the market as a result of the smell

In 2024, Southern Water spent £4.3m upgrading site facilities, including covering three sewage tanks, to mitigate the nuisance.

Ashford Borough Council said it was in conversation with Southern Water and the Environment Agency about the odour control unit system failure issues, and were hopeful it will soon be resolved.

"We are also aware of ongoing lime dosing trials at the site, which aim to improve treatment efficiency longer term and reduce odour incidents," a council spokesperson said.

"These trials have temporarily increased the volume of treated sewage cake stored on-site for the purposes of testing and maturation, and that additional storage is liable to have contributed to short-term odour impacts recently experienced.

"We are informed that this additional material is currently being removed and will continue to be cleared over the coming week. However, we would highlight that some temporary odours may be experienced during the loading and removal process."