Councillor Kshama Shore, of Eastbourne Borough Council, says “appalling smells” are coming from Southern Water’s Eastbourne wastewater treatment works at Langney Point.
People living near Sovereign Harbour, Langney Point and surrounding neighbourhoods say the smell “blights daily life”, preventing them from using gardens, drying clothes outside or opening windows on warm evenings.
Some are also concerned about their health, with respiratory problems reportedly worsening during periods of heavy odour.
Cllr Shore with Councillor Nigel Goodyear and Councillor Penny di Cara (Image: Supplied) Cllr Shore has asked Eastbourne Borough Council to classify the odour problem as a statutory nuisance and issue an enforcement notice requiring Southern Water to act.
However, the council has already taken legal action.
Cllr Shore said: “Southern Water has admitted its failures, but apologies are no longer enough.
“Residents feel ignored and forced to endure disgusting smells that are making life miserable and may even be harming health.
“Eastbourne Borough Council has the power to declare this a statutory nuisance and it must use those powers.
“Residents deserve a council that fights for them, not one that looks the other way.
“A formal notice would force Southern Water to finally clean up its act and invest properly in fixing this site.
“The current situation is unacceptable and I will continue to press every day until real action is taken.”
Emergency services were called to the works on Sunday, August 24, due to a fire.
Crews worked alongside Southern Water teams to control the blaze.
The fire was started by an electrical fault.
A spokeswoman for Eastbourne Borough Council said: “The council served a formal notice on Southern Water on Wednesday, August 27, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
“This notice is a legal instrument that requires Southern Water to immediately abate the odour and to take all necessary measures to prevent any future recurrence.
“It is totally unacceptable for Southern Water to allow this situation to continue.
“Unless Southern Water quickly resolves this issue, we will consider further legal action.”
A spokeswoman for Southern Water said: “We are sorry that residents are experiencing odour problems in this area. We recently met with the local community to listen to their concerns and explain the causes, and the actions we are taking.
“We are working to get four special odour control units fully online as soon as possible, and are carrying out a deep clean of this technology over the coming weeks. Our teams are doing this as quickly as they can but have been delayed slightly due to repairs needed as a result of the recent fire.
“We will continue to update residents on what we are doing to tackle this issue.”