Wyke wiff: Residents urge water firm to 'stop the stink'

Wessex Water previously upgraded the plant at Langton Road in Wyke Regis

Smells from a sewage treatment plant are becoming so "severe and prolonged" that locals are unable to enjoy their gardens, a councillor has said.

Residents of Wyke Regis in Weymouth have launched a "stop the stink" campaign against what they call the "Wyke wiff".

Dorset councillor Kate Wheller has called on Wessex Water to act.

The company said its Langton Road treatment site was "operating normally and complies with all permits".

Ms Wheller, who is ward councillor for Rodwell and Wyke, said: "There is a significant problem for Wyke residents and it does impact significantly upon them enjoying their gardens as they try to spend time with their families and friends during the summer.

"Problems with smells from the sewage plant occur from time to time. Sometimes they are slight and relatively short lived and sometimes, as now, they are quite severe and prolonged."

She said Wessex Water had already upgraded the plant but now seemed "less keen to acknowledge any problem," according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A Wessex Water spokesperson said: "The site is operating normally and complies with all permits, along with an odour management plan which is being followed."

The company previously asked residents to keep a diary of incidents.

A leaflet being distributed to homes is now urging people to complain to Dorset Council, Wessex Water and South Dorset MP Richard Drax.