Taco smell: Couple cannot bear fast-food odours

The fast-food chain opened its Norwich branch last year

A couple living next to a fast-food restaurant say they have to sleep in their living room because of the smells coming from the eatery's kitchen.

Taco Bell – a popular American chain now expanding in the UK – opened its branch in London Street, Norwich, last year.

It has applied to extend its opening hours, but neighbours were objecting because of the "awful smell" which drifts into their city centre flat.

Norwich City Council has told the couple that the company cleans the filters on its extraction system daily, and it cannot take any enforcement action. Taco Bell has been asked for comment.

'Unbearable'

The restaurant is currently open from 11:00 GMT to 23:00, but wants to trade until midnight from Sunday to Thursday, and until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday.

In an objection sent to the council, a couple living behind the Taco Bell said they could not open external doors and windows due to odours from its kitchen.

That meant the heat in their bedroom became "unbearable" and it was unusable before 23:00.

"This is not an acceptable way to live, having to have broken sleep - starting on the sofa," they wrote.

"Then waking partway through the night to get... to use our bed/bedroom."

"Our wellbeing is seriously affected by this situation," they added.

In response, the council's environmental protection officer, Tom Dawson, said he had been in contact with Taco Bell about the cleaning schedule of their extraction system.

Advising that there was no reason to carry out enforcement action, he said the company had "increased the cleaning of the grease filters from weekly to daily".

"With regards to sleep, nighttime is accepted to be the period between 11pm and 7am. As Taco Bell isn't operating past this time, we could not say that the odour was causing a disturbance to sleep."

Councillors are due to decide on the company's application on Wednesday.