Lewes District Council

Odours & Smells

Bad odours and smells can be reported and in certain instances action can be taken to prevent it from happening.

A prolonged period of smells is unpleasant to cope with. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 we can act to deal with the problem.

To take action the smell we must constitute a statutory nuisance. This is where enjoyment is significantly affected of interfered with.

Unfortunately smell is not something that can be measured. The chemicals that give rise to smell are normally at exceedingly low levels and sensitivity to smell varies very considerably between people.

Judgement of whether or not a smell constitutes a statutory nuisance can take time. Especially if the occurrence of the smell is unpredictable and only apparent for short periods of time.

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Keep a record over a period of days or weeks of what you can smell, for how long and at what time of day. We use this information to try and establish if there is any pattern to the problem.

We will then try and find the cause and what, if anything, can be done about it. If we conclude that the smell is giving rise to a statutory nuisance we may serve an abatement notice.

This requires these responsible to take remedial action. Sometimes there is nothing further that can be done.

Residents living close to sewage works, farmland where slurry is spread, a refuse tip or certain other smelly activities may be able to smell something from time to time.

In these circumstances we can only ask the operator to do what they reasonably can to minimise those smells.

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Odours & Smells

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