'The impact is severe... children have grown up thinking the stench was normal'

URGENT RESEARCH NEEDED INTO IMPACT IN AREA 'BOXED IN' BY INDUSTRY AND ROADS

- By SAM VOLPE Health reporter [e-mail]

AS new research shows 90% of British people live in areas where air pollution breaches guidelines, a campaigner in North Tyneside has highlighted the "stench" faced by people who live in a "boxed-in" area of the borough.

Linda Whitworth - chair of the Justice Prince community group - said East Howdon is surrounded by "industry, traffic and pollution" and the "stench" from the sewage treatment works.

Linda said that for decades the smell had plagued the lives of people living there.

She said: "It wasn't just a bad smell - it got into your clothes, your home, your throat. You felt dirty, embarrassed, like a second-class citizen. People stopped going outside or inviting friends over.

"The impact is severe. Children grew up thinking the stench was normal.

"A neighbour with one lung can't open windows or sit outside - 'She's trapped in her own home."

East Howdon is "boxed in" by industrial sites, main roads, and the Tyne Tunnel and Linda said there was a need for urgent research into the impact.

She said: "East Howdon was once a close-knit, proud community. But everything changed when the sewage treatment works was built.

"The smell was unbearable - it clung to your clothes, your home, even your throat. People felt ashamed, anxious, and isolated. You didn't want to invite anyone over. It was like living in a place no-one cared about.

"Even now, the smell still comes back. I spoke to a woman recently who has one lung. She can't open her windows, can't sleep properly and it's affecting her mental health.

"That's not right. We're surrounded by industry, traffic, and pollution.

"No one's ever properly looked into what that's doing to our health. Clean air isn't a luxury. It's a basic right.