A car park has been left “smelling like a toilet” due to foul water caused by a blocked drain, say furious neighbours.

Those living in Court Wurtin, South Ashford, say they are unable to open any windows because of the overbearing pong.

The dirty water is filling a corner of the car park outside a parade of shops just off Beaver Lane - and gets worse during heavy rain.

Neighbours say it happens every year despite repeated calls to get it cleared, but council bosses say it is “not a simple problem to fix”.

Resident Sue Bradbury, who has lived in Beaver Court next to Court Wurtin for more than 20 years, says the issue cannot go on.

“There is a blockage somewhere that is causing an awful smell, especially when the weather is warm," the 78-year-old said.

“The smell is affecting everybody along here and it has been going on for a couple of years.

“The cars end up swishing the water around and spraying it everywhere.

“Someone has got to take responsibility for what is happening.”

Appu Ag, of Gurkha Superstore which is based in the parade of shops, says the smell is "disturbing" for customers.

The cashier said: "It is particularly bad at certain hours. In the evening and night it’s worse and the smell goes straight into the shop.

“We all work with food and it's not good for us or for the customers. They keep asking 'what is this foul smell?'”

During heavy downpours, residents say the water can even make its way halfway across the car park, meaning some customers have to walk through it when getting out of their cars.

One resident, who has been living above the row of shops for six years, says she has reported the issue to several authorities.

“I'm getting fed up with the smell, I can’t open my front room windows," she said.

“I have reported it to Ashford Borough Council (ABC), Southern Water and others but nothing gets done.

“Every time it rains it gets filled up because the drains are not big enough to cope with it.

“It smells like a raw sewer, especially when cars go through it and when it is warm it lingers in the air.”

Ali Bayram, owner of Topkapi Kebab, which is also based in Court Wurtin, says he once saw someone inspecting the water late one evening, but nothing has happened since.

“Somebody came out late one night, I don’t know who, but it was raining heavily and they couldn't do anything,” he explained.

“Customers are not happy with the smell, we sell food so it puts them off.

“It smells like a toilet, when cars drive into it to park it creates a very bad smell and the whole place stinks.

“I tell all my customers it is not us and they trust us but whoever is in charge needs to do something.”

Mr Bayram opened his shop six years ago and says the stench has blighted his business since then.

“This time it has been going on for about a month but this happens at least once a year, it's a recurring problem,” he said.

“When we first moved here, the car park was just rubble, it was terrible.

“The council laid tarmac which we were really pleased with, but the drain is still the same; nothing was done to fix that.”

Court Wurtin backs onto a private fishing lake, but it remains unclear what is causing the issue.

“It is a complex situation that needs careful handling…”

In a statement, an ABC spokesman confirmed it is aware of problems with the drain and denied that complaints had been ignored.

“Our staff have been on site to investigate the problem with the drain and work had been undertaken to clear a blockage that was the cause of the issue,” they said.

“Unfortunately the drain appears to have become blocked again and further investigations are underway to find a permanent solution.

“This is not a simple problem to fix, there are multiple stakeholders involved and it is a complex situation that needs careful handling.”