Questions remain over odour from sewage works

By Rebecca Maer

• Southern Water’s wastewater treatment works near Sovereign Harbour has blighted residents’ lives for years with foul odours. Those trying to find out why the problem persists are struggling to get answers  
• Eastbourne Reporter has asked the company a series of questions to try to find out how the situation came about and why, as Southern Water itself has admitted, crucial equipment was "in a worse condition than originally thought"  
• Southern Water says the site is "uniquely challenging" and it is working hard to make improvements, spending nearly £1 million on work due to finish this month on odour control equipment 

Questions persist as to why foul odours emanated from the treatment works throughout last summer, leaving residents unable to use their gardens in hot weather. 

People in the area are hoping a meeting next week will bring some more clarity and answers from the company.  

Residents’ concerns 

Steve Davies, who lives within about 300m of the treatment works, has spent years campaigning for clearer answers from Southern Water. He moved to the area a couple of years before the works was built in 1996. 

He has kept letters going back more than eight years in which the company promised to resolve odour problems quickly.

One Southern Water letter to nearby residents in September 2017 acknowledges “a slight odour” and said they were working hard to rectify it. 

Another letter to residents in February 2018 explained the company was spending £16 million on “a thorough overhaul” to “bring long-term environmental benefits”.

Mr Davies, a retired retail manager who has also worked as a marine engineer in the Royal Navy, told the Eastbourne Reporter: “I am not going to give in. There has got to be an answer.  

“I don’t want fines or heads to roll: I want a guarantee it will be fixed and maintained so we are all safe.” 

Southern Water faces mounting pressure 

Pressure to resolve the long-running issue has increased in recent months from Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde, Sovereign Harbour ward councillors on Eastbourne Borough Council, and from residents. 

Southern Water operated perfumed sprays from the roof of the treatment works for a period last summer in an attempt to mask the odours. 

The company held a public meeting last August when residents expressed their annoyance and frustration at the long-running problem. 

And it held a drop-in session at Leaf Hall in Seaside, Eastbourne, last November where queues of angry residents waited to demand answers to the odour. 

One resident, who did not wish to be named, told the Eastbourne Reporter at the time: “It has blighted our lives. You can’t hang washing on the line or have windows open. I could not go in my garden at all this summer.”  

A further meeting has been arranged next week (5 February) at Sovereign Harbour Community Centre at which residents will again be able to question Southern Water executives. A livestream will be available.

Southern Water says it has reported operating losses for the last three years and has not paid shareholders a dividend since 2017. It does not expect to pay dividends until at least 2030. 

The company says it has received more than £1.65 billion in investment from shareholders over the last four years and will receive at least £655 million more over the next few months.   

What does the Eastbourne borough ward councillor say? 

Conservative councillor Kshama Shore (Sovereign ward) has also been trying to find out answers to why the odour problem has persisted for so long. 

She told Eastbourne Reporter: “I am concerned that we have had to push so much for them to get to this point.  

“I feel so strongly that Ofwat and the Environment Agency have not been present and accountable and neither is Eastbourne Borough Council.  

“All three organisations have failed the residents of Eastbourne. 

“Southern Water is trying to put it right, but I have no real confidence that this is enough of an effort to resolve the issue for the next ten to 15 years.”

Cllr Shore said there were indications that the problems were simply not reported and did not receive the priority they should have done. “What are the lessons learned from this? What is in place now?” she asked. 

What do the regulators say? 

Water industry regulator Ofwat told us an odour issue falls under the local council’s remit which should issue the site with a notice. “Ofwat is the economic regulator”, it said. 

It later pointed me to its investigation into Southern Water’s systemic processes at the company’s multiple wastewater treatment sites, which resulted in a £3 million fine. That case was closed in 2019. However, Ofwat said it continues to monitor the company. 

The Government announced last July that Ofwat will be abolished and a single regulator will take over water monitoring currently under the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. 

The Environment Agency told us to contact environmental health at Eastbourne Borough Council, which regulates odour on the site.  

“The Environment Agency does not regulate odour or other amenity issues or have any regulatory powers relating to these issues at this type of site,” it said. 

Eastbourne Borough Council served a formal notice on Southern Water last September under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Eastbourne Reporter approached the council on 9 January for an update on proceedings. We are still awaiting a response. 

Questions for Southern Water 

Eastbourne Reporter asked Southern Water, which is responsible in this area for wastewater collection and treatment, two sets of questions under regulations which allow people to ask public bodies for environmental information.  

The aim was to get a response to the key question: why have foul smells from the treatment works polluted the air for so many years? 

The company responded that odour control units were maintained “on a monthly basis” and that the plant was operating within the set standards for H₂S [hydrogen sulphide – smells like rotten eggs] of 0.1ppm [parts per million] gas.

In response to a further question as to why equipment was apparently in a worse condition than originally thought, the company said that “a detailed inspection was carried out, which identified issues”. 

It remains unclear why the odour, which was acknowledged by Southern Water to residents as far back as 2017, persists when the company says all the equipment is maintained and the site is operating within set standards. 

What did Eastbourne Reporter ask Southern Water? 

The Eastbourne Reporter submitted two sets of questions last year to Southern Water under Environmental Information Regulations 2004. 

Here is a summary of the questions and their answers. 

The first set of questions was submitted on 9 September. The response was dated 10 October: 

Q. Southern Water stated in an email to a local councillor [Kshama Shore]: “We’ve been working towards our target of bringing four out of five odour control units fully online by the end of August [2025].” Why were fewer than four out of five odour control units available? 

A. We have two primary air scrubbers, one of which is a standby scrubber, together with three further secondary air scrubbers, of which one is a standby scrubber. Operationally, we would only have three out of five working at any one time. Since the issues at Eastbourne, we have activated more air scrubbers to aid cleaning the air. 

Q. What is Southern Water’s maintenance schedule for these units and was it followed? 

A. We can confirm that our contractor maintains these units for us on a monthly basis as per their recommendations. 

Q. Southern Water states in the email to a local councillor [Kshama Shore]: “We’ve discovered that the elements in the units which help remove hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) from the air are in a worse condition than originally thought.” Why? 

A. We can comment that a detailed inspection was carried out, which identified issues. 

Q. Southern Water also states in the same email: “These units are sealed and underground so are difficult to fully inspect.” Why are they so difficult to inspect if they need regular maintenance? The treatment works was built in 1996. 

A. These air scrubber units are required to be sealed for maximum effectiveness and efficiency. The maintenance of these units does not require them to be opened up. 

This set of follow-up questions was submitted 27 October. The response is dated 17 December: 

Q. Is the plant operating within the set standards for H₂S [hydrogen sulphide – smells like rotten eggs] of 0.1ppm [parts per million] gas? 

A. Yes, the plant is operating within the set standards and as per the design parameters set by the original equipment manufacturer. 

Q. Is the equipment in the right condition to ensure odour is fully controlled? 

A. Please note that the purposes of the EIR 2004 are to provide public access to environmental information held by public authorities, and as such do not provide for a ‘question and answer’ service or for the public authority to venture an opinion, which this question invites us to do. 

We can however confirm that Southern Water has invested in excess of £800,000 to upgrade these assets. We also have plans to replace the asset in the future. 

Q. Is the maintenance schedule fit for purpose and always fully carried out? 

A. We refer to our response above in that the EIR 2004 is to provide access to environmental information and is not a ‘question and answer’ service or to provide opinion.  

We can however confirm that the monthly maintenance is correctly carried out by the original equipment manufacturer. 

Q. If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, there is one overall question: why has it been emitting odours for some years if everything appears to be in order? 

A. We have not confirmed either way that our answer is ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the above questions because as mentioned, the purpose of the EIR 2004 is to provide access to environmental information and not to provide a ‘question and answer’ service or for public authorities to provide opinions. 

We can provide an update on this matter in that all remedial works identified through the maintenance schedule have been completed with no reported issues and we have identified further remedial works that are currently in progress.

Media team response from Southern Water 

In addition to these questions, ER asked the media office at Southern Water twice why the equipment was in a worse condition than thought and why had the treatment works been emitting foul odours for so long.  

They said they were sorry “you’re not happy with the EIR process” and gave the following statement:  

“We’re sorry about recurring odour issues at our Eastbourne Wastewater Treatment Works.   

“We’re investing nearly £10 million to put it right and improve the site’s resilience – with nearly £1 million already spent to ensure the odour control machines are running efficiently. 

“The unfortunate reality is that this site is uniquely challenging to operate and work in – a cavern the size of Brighton’s Amex stadium is hidden from view beneath the visible buildings. 

“Our teams are working hard to overcome difficult conditions to make these improvements, and we look forward to sharing this progress with the local community at our February meeting.” 

Update on repairs - but questions remain

Eastbourne Reporter understands that two of the three odour control units which needed to be fixed have now been repaired and Southern Water is working on the third. 

In an update posted this week on its website, the company said work was due to finish this month and all three units will be working this summer.

The car park next to the works has been full of Southern Water and contractor vans as work continues. 

There is, however, still no clear-cut answer to the question: why has this odour problem persisted for so long if Southern Water has, as it states, followed all maintenance procedures and the site operates within set standards of hydrogen sulphide emissions? 

Residents and campaigners are still waiting for answers.

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