The stench coming from a brewery is so strong neighbours are unable to sit in their own gardens, they claimed.
Residents near South East Bottling say they have to keep their windows and doors shut because of the "yeasty, sickly" smell. Several have also complained about noise coming from the brewery - saying bins can be heard banging and crashing. The brewery, on Northdown Industrial Estate in Broadstairs, Kent, has been ordered to carry out an odour assessment by Thanet Council.
Bosses say locals need to compromise, as the firm’s managing director claimed he finds the smell "quite pleasant". Neighbour Marion Langelier, 82, said: "When it smells…it stops me going out in the garden. If the wind isn't blowing it lingers.
“It's like a malty sort of smell. When it's sort of strong and it's just hanging around all the time and never clears away it's annoying."
Neighbour Matt Walters, 55, said: "If the wind is bad, it's really sickly - if it's really bad, you can smell it all the way up the road.
"On a bad day, it's horrible. You can't stay outside. You can't have the windows open if the smell's there because it just blows into the house. It's not like every single day, every single hour. When it does happen, it is bad I know it's a local business and I want them to do well - but not at this cost."
South East Bottling submitted a retrospective application to install a flue on the property and a planning officer imposed a condition to provide an independent analysis of the smells. The brewery tried to have the condition removed, but the council refused, saying: "The failure to submit an odour assessment would result in harm to the amenities of the occupiers of surrounding dwellings in terms of odour."
Managing director Duncan Sambrook said the only way to completely stop the smell is to use a vapour heat recovery system which would cost anywhere from £2,000 to £7,000. The small business says this is "extremely expensive" while they are still recovering from Covid.
He said: "We are sorry some local residents find the smell repulsive. I actually find it very pleasant.
"Ultimately, though, what we are asking for is a compromise with our neighbours to recognise the need to be pro-business for the small impact that our operations may have on their enjoyment of the property.
"We have had an ongoing dialogue with the council, but unfortunately our neighbours have chosen not to engage directly with us, instead preferring to raise complaints through the council. From the outset, we have sought to engage proactively with residents and the council.
"We have, at our own cost, addressed a large element of the initial concerns, and we do not consider that it is unreasonable for us to be able to operate a flue without restrictions during weekdays between the short windows of operation."
A spokesperson for Thanet District Council said it fully supports local businesses, but "must balance this with its duty to ensure that regulations are adhered to, safeguarding residents and the environment". They added: "As this is an ongoing investigation involving both environmental health and planning enforcement, we are unable to comment further."