Odour
The Council gets lots of odour complaints every year, about smell from a wide variety of sources, for which there is more specific information below. There are no laws which relate just to odour and no fixed level for causing a nuisance; as with noise and bonfires, odour nuisance can be dealt with under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
In order for a smell to be classed as a statutory nuisance, it must be seriously affecting a person's use or enjoyment of their property. To be a nuisance the smell must happen continuously for a period of time and be a frequent problem. The Council cannot take action on smells that only last for a few minutes, don't happen often, or do not affect a person's use or enjoyment of their property. A Council officer will visit people who complain to see if action can be taken. If we believe a nuisance has occurred and may happen again, then a legal notice will be served.
If nuisances continue, then the person responsible may be prosecuted in a magistrates' court, and fined up to £5,000 for domestic offences and an unlimited amount for commercial or industrial offences.
Customer Services
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