People living near a sewage plant have been forced to take holidays after being blighted by the smell of ‘rotting eggs and diarrhoea’.
The foul stench is emanating from Southern Water’s pumping station at the end of a cul-de-sac in Willesborough, Ashford.
Those on Alsops Road in say they are at their wits’ end and that the smell has grown increasingly worse since the plant became operational in 2010.
It was built to collect sewage and wastewater from homes and businesses in the area, pumping the waste through a rising main to the nearby Ashford wastewater works in Kennington.
However, people say the smells find their way into their homes every day, sometimes for hours on end, through the aluminium plates to the front of the site.
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Barry Jupp, 74, whose parents bought the family property in 1955, said: ‘It’s just non-stop – once it starts you’ll be lucky if it goes within three or four hours.
‘A cul-de-sac shouldn’t smell of rotting eggs or diarrhoea, and you shouldn’t have to have a hot house from closing your windows.
‘It’s not like once a week or fortnight – it’s all day, every day and at different times so there’s no pattern to it. It just hits you out of nowhere.
‘It’s always lingered, but it started getting really bad in September 2025 – I remember leaving one window open upstairs and it stunk the whole house out.
‘Last month, I drove to Cornwall purely to get away from the smell for a week. That’s how unbearable it is. It’s just such an insult.
‘If I were to climb their fence they’d tell me I’m trespassing, but this smell is trespassing on my property and accumulating in my garden all the time.
‘A couple of people have come out, but all they do is lift the drain covers and say they’ve found a small blockage but then the smell is back and it’s hell again within a day.
‘It doesn’t even die down in the winter and it’s not wind-assisted – you can smell it in Bentley Road sometimes.’
Southern Water chiefs said they are aware of the issue, acknowledging an investigation is underway involving the sewage tank being cleaned.
A spokesperson said: ‘We’re aware some residents living near our Alsops Road pumping station have complained of a bad smell and our teams are investigating.
‘While the hot weather could be a contributing factor, we have scheduled a clean of the sewage tank, which we hope will improve the situation. We’ll keep customers updated on the progress.’
However, Mr Jupp, a retired articulated lorry driver, fears he will never be able to sell his home due to the problem.
He added: ‘Southern Water needs to be fined thousands of pounds and then build another sewage plant in Ashford because it’s not fit for purpose.
‘I can’t describe how uneasy and angry it makes me – I can’t even sell up because nobody wants to buy it.
‘I wanted to move a while back to downsize and right now I don’t even consider compensation that important – I just want it sorted so I can move on. I
‘It’s going to reduce the valuation of the house and those who come through the front door will have to then know about the history.
‘I have Stage 4 kidney cancer which is terminal as it has metastasised to both my lungs, so this is just making me really depressed.
‘I handed in log diaries to Ashford Borough Council (ABC), but haven’t heard anything back. Whether it’s a barking dog, loud music, or the smell of sewage, things like this are an intrusion.’
ABC investigates nuisances like persistent or unreasonable industrial, commercial, or domestic odours, with chiefs adding they are aware of the problem in Alsops Road.
A spokesperson for the council said: ‘ABC’s environmental health service has received a complaint regarding odours emanating from the Southern Water pumping station.
‘The information was shared at an early stage with Southern Water, and remains under active investigation to determine whether the odour incidents cross the threshold of being an actionable statutory nuisance.’
Another resident fears the problem will get worse if a plan for 800 new homes on a former railway works nearby are approved.
Mervin Bunclark, 80, who has lived in the road for 15 years, said: ‘I thought the site wasn’t big enough years ago. When that pump gets blocked up the smell is unbelievable and it’s never improved. Sunday night alone was unbearable.
‘You can hear it churning inside, but it’s obviously not powerful enough to discharge the waste.
‘It’s smelled since 2010, but a more rancid stench has been circulating in the last year. It’s actually hard to explain how bad it is. If it were a building site you’d have to wear a mask and goggles.
‘The smell has got worse since all the homes in Adams Drive were built, so how’s the sewage going to cope if 800 more come at the railway works?
‘We even have rats in our garden as well every week because of how neglected the site is.’