Calls for action over '˜pungent' smell in Bodiam

Bodiam Parish Council said it had spent a ‘considerable amount’ of time trying to get something done about the bad smell enveloping part of the village.

Viv Davies, clerk to the council, said the odour was coming from the reed bed cess pit system near Bodiam Castle.

She has written to the chairman of the National Trust, which owns the 14th century castle, in a bid to get the problem resolved.

She said: “It’s really pungent. The National Trust has done some works but we would like it to move faster so that Bodiam does not continue to put up with the smell that gives a bad impression of the village.”

Geoffrey Goodsell, chairman of Bodiam Parish Council, said: “The smell has been around for a number of years and residents living in that part of the village asked us to help them.

“It’s an awful smell and you just can’t put up with it. If any residents living there wanted to sell their property they couldn’t.

“Walkers visiting the area have also complained about the smell so it’s not just affecting Bodiam residents.

“It’s unbelievable. Why should Bodiam residents have to put up with it? The smell is like rotten eggs and has definitely got worse.”

He added the odour is worse in the hot summer and in the evenings after the castle is closed.

Pauline Wall, general manager at Bodiam Castle, said: “We’ve been working hard to identify the cause of reports of a bad odour around the reed bed near Bodiam Castle.

“Together with our tenant at the Castle Inn pub, this has now been traced and a solution put in place.

“We feel confident this will resolve the issue, and appreciate the cooperation and patience of the local community in getting to this point.”