A HAMPSHIRE resident has hit out at the stench which has plagued a neighbourhood for three days.

Angry residents in Hedge End said the stink was so bad that it went through their houses when the doors had just been opened.

One resident was even forced to move to their family’s house to escape the smell.

Graham Hunter, a 66-year-old parish councillor, said: "The smell was really bad and we are used to getting country smells, because we live next to Manor Farm Country Park, but this was awful.

"It was so toxic it put us off our food and I had to bury my head in the pillow at night because the smell came through the window. We could not sleep.

"Sitting in the garden was totally out of the question and I did not even want to go outside and there were more flies around because of the smell."

He added: "Everyone was talking about this awful pong and where it was coming from. It was so pungent and I do not know what they are feeding the cows up there and I have lodged a complaint to Eastleigh Borough Council, as well as Botley Parish Council."

As previously reported in the Daily Echo, one resident said the stench was so bad that their eyes were "stinging", which left her breathless.

Other residents complained the smell needed to be investigated as it had been permeating through their houses for days.

A spokesperson from Eastleigh Borough Council said: "We can confirm it was a farmer spreading manure in a field on the Kings Copse Avenue. It looks like it was applied on Monday and Tuesday and was laid in on Wednesday evening.

"We had several complaints from the public and our Environmental Health team were investigating this over the past couple of days to find out where the source was coming from."

The incident comes after Fareham Council launched an investigation into finding the source of an unusual pong last year.