LOCALS of a seaside millionaire's playground are up in arms over a putrid egg stench that's stopping them from going outside.
Those living in the iconic Sandbanks neighbourhood in Poole, Dorset, insist the foul smell stinking them out is only getting worse, too.
The strong pong is believed to be caused by rotting seaweed left to build up on the shore in a corner of Poole Harbour.
The rotten egg-like smell, known as the "Sandbanks Stench", is so bad that wealthy homeowners are being put off from using their balconies.
Locals say the pong gets worse at low tide in hot weather in the summer.
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The affected area is also right in front of a new block of flats that sell for up to £4m each.
It is also opposite the Sandbanks Hotel, where the smell is so strong that its enough to put off guests from staying.
Some have previously taken to Tripadvisor to complain about the ordeal.
One person wrote: "Not impressed. The sea stunk of a sewage smell in the hotel location so definitely wouldn't recommend a stay unless you have lost your sense of smell."
But a spokesperson for the Sandbanks Hotel said there was nothing they could do about it.
They said: "It is blanket-weed and sometimes can create a smell for a short period of time. Unfortunately this is a natural occurrence and not something within our control.
"The sun beats down on the seaweed and it begins to rot which gives it the sulphuric dioxide smell.
"I think we've become quite accustomed to it. Some days it's bad, some days it isn't, but it has got progressively worse in the last five years.
"This is not a problem from the sea-side on our main beaches."
Wessex Water have been to the site to inspect sewage pipes in case they were to blame but are understood to have found no fault.
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Sandbanks resident Stephen Allen said: "I run past the area everyday and it is noticeable at this time of the year.
"When we get south westerly winds, seaweed and algae gets washed up in that corner. There are metres of it lying there rotting away. It smells.
"I don't know what the practical answers are. The authorities are reluctant to do anything these days that disturbs the natural ecology.
"The smell might put some people off if they are looking at buying a flat in the area, but it is really very localised."
