Sutton Council is calling on the boss of Thames Water to tackle the foul stench emanating from Beddington Sewage Treatment Works.

The smell is affecting hundreds of homes and businesses up to three miles away from the plant.

The council is already working with the Environment Agency to see what legal action can be taken against the operators, Thames Water.

However, it is now writing to the company’s chief executive Martin Baggs to ensure he is aware of the problem - and demand he takes urgent action.

Councillor Colin Hall, the council’s executive member for environment, said: “This situation has been going on far too long and we want Mr Baggs to assure our residents that everything that can be done is being done to tackle this problem.

“We are already investigating the legal route but this takes time and it is not fair that residents should have to put up with this problem for so long when it is having such a detrimental impact upon their quality of life.”

There have been problems with the site for years but in August two of the digester tanks which break down sewage, encountered technical problems.

The sludge is being tankered away to other sites for disposal whilst they try to resolve the issue.

A spokeswoman from Thames Water said: "The sewage digesters have been back up and running for two weeks now and the odour problem has significantly decreased. However, we are still receiving a small number of complaints as the old sludge that is yet to be digested is still causing a slightly stronger smell than normal.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and expect the site to be back to normal soon."