The Dorset village of Wyke Regis has a lot going for it: sunsets across Lyme Bay, views of Chesil Beach’s spectacular pebbly sweep, proximity to great swimming and sailing spots.
But local people are not having a great time of it at the moment because of what has been called the “Wyke whiff”, an unpleasant smell that forces them to keep their windows shut tight and ruins the simple pleasure of sitting out in the sunshine.
“It’s been horrendous,” said Brenda Gibb, who has lived in Wyke for more than 20 years. “We haven’t been able to relax in the garden and have to keep our windows closed. We dash from car to front door when it’s at its worst. It’s too embarrassing to invite visitors outside. I’m dubious about putting washing out on the line and I’ve had a sore throat. I can’t say it is connected to the smell but I just don’t know.”
The blame is being put squarely at the gates of the Wessex Water sewage treatment works at the end of Langton Avenue.
“We accept on occasion there will be a smell,” Gibb said. “But not like this. It’s really depressing. I pay £65 a month for my water bills. Then you hear how much the shareholders get and all I want is to be able to sit outside in my back garden. It peeves me a bit.”
Ian and Barbara Goddard moved into “Windy Wyke” (its elevated position makes it breezy) two and half years ago. “We did our research before we moved,” said Ian. “We were told they had done a lot of work on the site and there wasn’t a problem, but it’s been smelly this summer.”
“You become wary of having visitors,” said Barbara. “We’ve invested in lots of scented candles.”
The Wyke Regis community Facebook page is packed with comments about the whiff. “It’s disgusting, makes us feel sick,” said one person. Another posted: “I’m sure it had something to do with my asthma worsening, plus very itchy nose and eyes.”
Not everyone, however, is sympathetic, with some criticising people who moved near to a sewage works for daring to complain about the odour. Others suggest what they are actually smelling is seaweed, or claim people are imagining it.
And some businesspeople deny knowing anything about it. Keith Smith, who runs a campsite a few hundred metres from the site, said there was no problem. One cafe said it had never heard of the Wyke whiff, let alone smelled it.
The odour is not constant. It comes and goes, sometimes strong, at other times more subtle, and the wind direction dictates who may be worst affected on any given day.
“Stop the stink” notices have appeared around the site and someone has been delivering letters to people asking: “Fed up with the Wyke whiff?” and advising them to contact Wessex Water.
After several weeks of complaints, Wessex Water wrote a carefully worded letter to residents saying it was investigating “any potential source of any change in odour”.
It said: “Our teams are reviewing site treatment processes and the operation of our odour control system, in addition to completing odour monitoring. As a precaution, we have completed a proactive refresh of the odour scrubber towers and internal inspection of the vessels. Furthermore, we have organised for a specialist company to complete a full service of the odour system.”
It asked people to keep a journal detailing the smells. “If you are noticing a change in odour, we would encourage you to keep an odour diary noting the dates and times of any issues so we can build an accurate map of the area and times affected as this information will help our ongoing investigation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Wessex Water has consulted with a public health expert, Dr Bharat Pankhania, over the worries that the smell could be causing health issues. He said: “Asthma is a long-term condition and there are many contributing factors to this, including genetics. Sewage works have not been associated locally, nationally or internationally with an increase in respiratory complaints. Similarly, sore throats are often associated with viral and bacterial factors, and rarely irritants in the atmosphere.”
Kate Wheller, a Dorset councillor who lives in Wyke, said her inbox had been full of complaints about the smell. “Wessex Water has been on the defensive. I think it’s because water companies have been taking a battering. They are feeling beleaguered. But people just want to know they are being taken seriously. They don’t want to be treated as if they are making a fuss.”
The plant opened in 2002, when it was described as a “£30m state of the art development” using “the latest technology to deal much more effectively with sewage from Weymouth and Portland”. In 2018, “refurbishment of the ventilation and odour control systems” was carried out.
Wessex Water, which was taken over by the Malaysian infrastructure firm YTL in the same year the plant opened, confirmed it had launched an investigation into the source of “any change” in odour at the site, which it said “treats sewage and wastewater to a standard so it can be safely returned to the environment”.
Ian Cox, who lives a quarter of a mile from the plant, gave the most vivid description of the whiff. “It’s a cross between an old baby’s nappy and mould. You know when a baby’s nappy has been hanging around; it doesn’t smell of poo but it’s just a festering smell.
“It tends to be in the evening and you have to shut the windows if it’s bad. It’s a bit embarrassing, really. What’s Wyke famous for at the moment? A smell.”
