Angry residents can't stand the smell

A LITTLEHAMPTON foundry has been criticised for operating without the required permit and may face legal action by Arun District Council.

Residents living near the Fine-Cast foundry on Lineside Industrial Estate complained to Arun about bad smells coming from the site, only to find that it was operating illegally.

Fine-Cast, which started up in April, has applied to the council for a licence to operate under pollution prevention and control regulations, but has been advised by Arun's environmental health department that it will not be granted until emissions from the site are effectively contained.

Debbie De Filippo, of Egan Way, Clun Road, has a garden backing directly onto the foundry.

She says she can't open her doors or windows during the day because of the sulphurous smell from it, and doesn't hang clothes outside to dry because they then smell, too.

She also claims to have suffered a constant sore throat since work at the foundry began.

"It used to be an engineering company over there when I moved in two years ago and we had no problems with them," she said: "Now this horrible smell from the foundry wakes me up in the morning.

"I know he's got to run a business, I accept that. But I just want to live my life without smelling that horrible smell.

"The plants in my garden smell of it, even on the weekends when they're not working over there."

Another neighbour of the site, Lorraine Cohen, said: "We used to live in Bedfordshire by the Stewartby brick works and the smell is worse down here."

Paul Unsworth, head of environmental health at Arun, said: "Fine-Cast should have applied for the permit before operation.

"They went ahead and opened on the basis of doing some of the work that was suggested to them but not enough.

"They can operate without a permit but may face prosecution from the council.

"They have applied for planning permission to erect a smokestack which will help disperse emissions from the site but that has not been granted yet. If it is then that should be in place in October.

"If the conditions of the permit are met we are legally bound to grant it but it should have been like this in March and not in October."

Chris Heatley, owner of Fine-Cast, said: "We have been working closely with the council from day one and have carried out monitoring of the site every day to ensure that we don't get any complaints from our neighbours.

"We are carrying out site tests with new chemicals to reduce the odour levels.

"We have put in our permit application and paid for it and it's being sorted. Environmental health have come back to us and said everything's fine but we need to sort out the problems with the neighbours and improve the odour emissions at the site."

Fine-Cast, the only foundry in West Sussex, makes aluminium castings for the aerospace and automotive industries and moved to Littlehampton from Lancing.

The main emission produced in the process of aluminium casting is phenol, a manufactured substance which is classed as hazardous but used in many heavy industries.

Phenol is known to cause liver disease in humans if high doses of it come into contact with the skin but the effect on humans of breathing it are not known.

Mr Unsworth said a report was being put before the council's licensing and enforcement committee tomorrow (Friday), for councillors to decide whether Arun would take legal action against Fine-Cast.