Chichester listed as 'one of the smelliest places to live' in the UK

Data complied by home fragrance experts Lifestyle Packaging found that Chichester District Council received 904 nuisance smell complaints between 2015 and 2019 (calculated per capita), making it 'one the smelliest places to live'.

Residents are most likely to complain about domestic waste burning or bonfires. In England and Wales, there is no law against domestic bonfires but it is against the law to cause a nuisance to neighbours.

Rich Quelch, global head of marketing at Lifestyle Packaging said: “It’s really interesting to see where residents complain the most about bad smells and the range of complaints councils receive every year.

"From 'children being sick on a school bus' in Norfolk, a 'strong smell of cabbage' in West Dunbartonshire, to a 'neighbour’s pizza oven' in Sutton, the list of unusual smell complaints is endless.

“While Brits are most likely to lodge a complaint against their neighbour, it seems they also can’t stand agricultural odours and bonfires. So, living rurally doesn’t always mean fresher air!”

According to the UK Government, a bad odour is deemed a 'statutory nuisance' if it interferes with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premise, or if it injures health.

Bad smells are also the third biggest turn-off for homebuyers, behind damp and the property being in a poor state of repair.

In five years, the UK councils studied received a staggering 116,789 nuisance smell complaints – that’s one per every 500 people. Brits are also more likely to complain about their neighbours’ homes and gardens than restaurants, sewage, or industrial smells.

The prize for the UK’s smelliest place is awarded to the Cotswold District, spread over 450 square miles in Gloucestershire with some 80 per cent of its land located within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Cotswold District Council received 2,996 nuisance smell complaints (calculated per capita) in five years. This averages out at approximately one smell complaint per 33 residents, well above the national average of one complaint per 500 people.

1) Cotswold (2,996 complaints per capita)

2) Bassetlaw (1,604)

3) City of London (1,344)

4) Westminster (936)

5) North West Leicestershire (934)

6) Chichester (904)

7) Ashford (846)

8) North Norfolk (794)

9) Teignbridge (775)

10)Swansea (707)