'Off-cheese mixed with sewage' - Kent traders say smelly seaweed on beaches is driving away tourists

  • Meridian

  • Swathes of seaweed can be seen on the beach at Margate, Kent.

Traders in Kent and Sussex say thousands of tonnes of smelly seaweed which has washed up on local beaches is driving away tourists.

Tourists and locals have described the stench as 'intolerable', and say it's attracting a number of unpleasant flies and insects.

The smell is an inconvenience for holidaymakers, but local businesses and traders - already reeling from a cool wet summer say it's a real blow which is causing them to lose customers.

Some have accused local councils of not doing enough to clean up the shorelines.

Unusually high levels of seaweed have washed up on beaches across Thanet, Kent. Credit: ITV Meridian

The problem's been particularly acute in Thanet with unusually high levels found at some of the area's beaches.

Thanet District Council admitted it's already collected 1000 tonnes in five weeks - that's more than it usually clears over the whole summer season.

The authority is looking at options to continue removing the seaweed, but some local businesses say the bad smell is having an impact.

Jane Bishop who owns Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate says the harbour is the worst-hit area. Credit: ITV Meridian

Jane Bishop owns Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate.

She's described the stench as similar to a mixture of off-cheese and sewage.

"This is season is very busy, and it's not that people aren't coming, but they're not enjoying the offering we are giving them at the moment.

"In lots of ways the harbour is the worst area - it's not pleasant."

  • Jane Bishop, Owner of Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate

The Environment Agency say large amounts of seaweed often wash up on the shoreline along the Thanet coast, where it grows on the surrounding chalk reef.

A spokesperson said: “Our specialist officers are helping Thanet District Council explore options to remove the extra seaweed on its beaches this year that may be down to increased sea temperatures and weather patterns.

“The Environment Agency allows the council to use up to 1,000 tonnes of seaweed to improve the condition of soil at a local farm, but that permitted amount has been reached.”

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