A water company has spent £4.3m upgrading a sewage works in a bid to stop foul smells coming from the site.

Southern Water has received complaints for a number of years relating to a pong wafting over Kennington from its Ashford Wastewater Treatment Works in Kinney’s Lane.

Now the company says it has addressed the concerns “in a number of ways”, including changing the location of where sewage solids are stored before being removed from the works.

Three tanks involved in treating sewage have also now been fully covered and further technology has been installed to stop gases involved in the treatment process from escaping into the air.

Bosses say the site team are now using a new live monitoring system and odour management plan to prevent problems.

Most neighbours did not know about the work to stop the stink, but the programme’s completion was announced earlier this month.

Neighbour John Armitage, who lives a few minutes’ walk away in nearby Canterbury Road, said: “Sometimes the wind blows it over here and it can come from the lorries going to and from the site when they are not sealed properly.

“We have got used to it but I must say things have improved over the last couple of years.”

Another Canterbury Road resident said: “This is a positive step. Whether you get the smell depends on the way the wind is blowing. I have not noticed it lately but you notice it much more in the summer when you’re more likely to be outdoors.”

Another added: “This new work is a relief because it was pretty bad last summer.”

Southern Water says the project was carried out in close collaboration with the Environment Agency and Ashford Borough Council.

The company’s director of wastewater operations, John Penicud, said: “This work is really important, not only to improve how we treat waste but also to significantly improve the air quality for nearby residents who have in the past been impacted by odours from the site.

“The work we have done here has already made a massive difference, and we have seen that in feedback from people in the area. We will take the learnings from this into other areas in our region where we are aware of concerns about odours.”

Complaints about the smell in Kennington were highlighted in 2018 when it led to 200 names being listed on a protest petition in its first four days.

That campaign called for Michael Gove, the then Secretary of State for Environment, to get involved in the issue.