We live by the UK’s ‘best beach’ but it absolutely stinks – and we have to keep a ‘smell diary’ for proof
THE town home to the UK’s ‘best beach’ is being ruined by a foul smell coming from a local sewage treatment plant.
The stench has even been given its own name after local mums said they were unable to open their windows or sit in their gardens during the school holidays.
Signs reading “stop the stink” have been stuck on poles by disgruntled parents living near Wessex Water’s Recycling Centre in Wyke Regis, Weymouth.
The foul smell has been named the Wyke Whiff and is the result of a power outage at the plant on July 8.
When power went out, the sewage centre started running on its back-up generator.
A month later, residents have found the back-up hasn’t done a great job of managing the foul smell seeping from the plant.
One mum-of-two said it was keeping her and her kids up all night.
“It has been horrific,” Jodie told the Dorset Echo. “This past week, the smell has been constant and it has been vile.
“I have lived here for eight years and it has never been this bad.”
The Mayor of Weymouth and Wyke Regis councillor Kate Wheller has also weighed in on the foul stench.
“It does impact significantly upon [people] enjoying their gardens as they try to spend time with their families and friends during the summer,” she said.
“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.”
Cllr Kate urged Wessex Water to fix the plant as a priority for her constituents.
Parents in the area have started a leaflet campaign in hope it will speed up the water company’s action against the smell.
The leaflets advise people how to complain if they have been affected by the stench.
What’s more, the water company told its customers to keep a “smell diary” where they jot down whenever it wafts by their home.
But residents have retaliated that there is little point as the foul smell is permeating through their neighbourhoods on a frequent basis.
Weymouth in Dorset was voted The Times’ Beach of the Year last month and hailed for having “litter-free sand” – but the reality for locals can be very different.
Some have complained about pulling disposable nappies from the sea and embarking on weekend-long litter picks to clear up the shore.
A Wessex Water spokesperson told The Sun: “We are aware of customers’ concerns around odour and have launched an investigation into the source of any change.
“As well as reviewing and servicing on-site site treatment processes and our odour control system, we’re stepping up our monitoring around the site and carrying out further precautionary inspections and servicing.
“To assist with this investigation, customers are urged to contact us when they notice any odour, allowing us to build an accurate map of the area and times affected and further update them on any ongoing actions.’’