Residents’ plea to tackle ‘Poo Castle’ smell.
Residents in Eastbourne are demanding for action after smelling a “nasty” odour coming from a nearby wastewater treatment plant.
On August 27, Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) placed a formal notice on Southern Water regarding the smell from the facility at Langney Point, also known as “Poo Castle” locally.
Steve Davies, who lives nearby, commented, “The stench is acidic. It’s horrible. It gets into the house. It’s exactly like having a raw drain outside your house.”
Southern Water has apologised to residents for the “odour problems”. It stated that it had met with people to listen to their concerns, explain the causes, and outline the steps it was doing.
It stated: “We are working to get four special odour control units fully operational as soon as possible, and we will conduct a thorough cleaning of this technology in 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.”
George Carden/BBCChristine Earl, who has lived near the works for six years, said the problem has resurfaced in recent months.
“Our entire summer has been completely spoilt because there’s hardly a day where we’ve been able to sit outside or to have our windows and doors open,” she told me. Ms Earl claims she does not welcome guests to her home because the odour is “horribly embarrassing”.
“Essentially the minute you come outside you’re actually gagged sometimes from the strength of the smell of raw sewage,” she told me.
David Preager of the Sovereign Harbour Residents’ Association stated that the group had received complaints about the scent for years.
“It is becoming increasingly urgent for Southern Water to do something about this because it’s been going on for so many years and we don’t ever get any satisfactory response,” according to him.
Mr Preager stated that the problem was becoming worse. “You seem to carry it with you throughout the day. “If you go down to the town centre, you can still smell it on your clothes,” he added.
Kshama Shore, EBC’s Sovereign Ward councillor, has urged the authority to exercise its legal powers to address the “appalling smells” emanating from the site.
She stated that homeowners told her that the odour “continues to blight daily life, preventing them from using gardens, drying clothes outside, or even opening windows on warm evenings”.
She stated that others are concerned about the health consequences, including “worsening respiratory problems during periods of heavy odour.”
The council described the notice as a “legal instrument” requiring Southern Water to quickly address the odour and take all necessary precautions to prevent a recurrence.
It stated that if Southern Water did not remedy the matter soon, it might consider pursuing legal action.
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