RESIDENTS of a seaside town have told how they are stuck in their homes because of a foul smell which has taken over their picturesque area.
The mysterious odour has been wafting through people's homes in Seaton Carew, County Durham, for years – and no one knows where it comes from.
The town's promenade is home to busy chippies and arcades and welcomes hoards of tourists each year.
But locals fear visitors will be driven away from the area if the problem gets worse.
Residents don't know for sure where the pong is coming from, but suggest the Seaton Carew Sewage Works, owned by Northumbrian Water, as well as nearby chemical plants.
Physiotherapist Emmie McCullock, 29, doesn't like to bring her young son Frankie to the beach.
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She said: "It's not good when you want to come to the sea front for a nice walk and there's an awful smell.
"Apparently it's to do with the gases being released from the works up the coast.
"In the summer it's even worse – it's really bad then.
"There's lots of skips near the sewage works as well so it could be to with them.
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"I moved back to the area from London two years ago and I noticed the smell straight away when I came home.
"I'm worried to bring my little one to the coast because of it. I'm vegan as well so I'm quite cautious about these things.
"My niece's grandmother lives close to the beach and in the summer she doesn't put washing on the line because it's that bad."
Emmie added: "Tourists might find it an issue if they're coming to the area in the summer.
"It just doesn't seem to go away."
Married couple David Hill, 45, and Annake, 40, have also had to learn to live with the smell in the two years they've lived in the town.
David, a locksmith, said: "How bad it is depends on which way the wind blows.
"If it comes from the sea front it's more from the chemicals but there's another smell which comes from the sewage works.
"They are two different smells. You know if it's the sewage works but the other type of smell is unusual.
'AWFUL SMELL'
"It's not too bad in the winter but in the summer it is so much worse and it's quite strong.
"It's a nice place to live but if you're in your garden you can definitely smell it.
"It's just life and we have to get on with it. It's better than living in the city which is where we were before here."
Annake, a customer service advisor, added: "When we moved in it was bad.
"I remember one day in the summer I was hanging the washing up and I could smell something strange.
"I thought there was a problem with the washing machine but it turned out it was just in the air which I couldn't believe at first.
"It wasn't a nice smell and the neighbours told us we would just have to get used to it.
"It could put tourists off coming here if they end up parking right next to the bad smell.
"But it's not something they're going to know about until they get here."
The subject was raised between councillors at a recent meeting where a draft air quality strategy for the borough was brought to the table.
One local, who lives in an estate around a mile from the coast, said the smell hits as soon as he leaves the house.
Remaining anonymous, he said: "I've been living in the area for around seven years and it's still as bad as it was when I moved.
"You can smell it as soon as you leave your door, it's not nice.
"It's even worse when the weather gets warmer and you're trying to enjoy the outdoors.
"But it's something we all get on with. There's not much else you can do about it."
Adam Vayro, 26, added: "The smell can get quite strong but it comes and goes.
"No one really knows where exactly it's coming from. I'll leave the house sometimes and say 'there's that awful smell again'.
"It doesn't happen all of the time, but it does get bad in the summer.
"I can see why people get really annoyed when they're trying to enjoy the garden in the hot weather.
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"It's been about three years I've lived here and it's always been around.
"But there's not much you can do about it. I try to get on with it and ignore it as best I can."
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