Waste bosses face prosecution if they fail to reduce the smell coming from a controversial tip.

People living near the Horton landfill site at Small Dole, near Henfield, have been plagued by a summer of bad smells.

They have been forced to keep doors and windows shut because of the disgusting odours wafting into their homes.

The Environment Agency (EA) has now issued an enforcement notice against site operator Viridor Waste Management to get it to clean up its act.

The notice orders the company to comply with its environmental permit and take action to control the smells.

It comes after complaints about the tip over the last two months soared to six times the usual levels.

Environment Agency officer Nigel Wonnacott met residents and members of Small Dole Action Group in the village.

He said: “As we were discussing the problem a smell of landfill gas wafted into the room we were in.

“It became so strong that we had to close the windows on a warm summer evening.

“This is a snapshot of what the residents tell us they face on a daily basis.

“It is clearly not something any community should be forced to endure.”

Residents hoped that Viridor would quit the site when its licence expired last year.

They were horrified when West Sussex County Council extended the agreement until 2010.

Inspections at the tip over the last six weeks discovered waste dumped there was not being covered properly and that there was an infestation of seagulls.

Matthew Thompson, an EA regulatory officer, said: “While attempts have been made by the operator to control the problem they need to go much further.

“Odour management at Horton must be a top priority. This enforcement notice underlines how seriously we are taking the issue.”

Rapill Sharma, 52, who runs the village post office, said: “The smell from the tip is terrible.

“When the wind blows in this direction it is unbearable. It is so bad that we can't have our back door open or sit in the garden.

“A lot of people are very angry about it. We have complained to the company many times but nothing is done.”

Norman Carreck, a spokesman for Small Dole Action Group, said: “Over the last couple of months the smell from the site has been particularly bad.

“They have been tipping rubbish over a wider area and not covering it up as they are supposed to do.

“The smell is very unpleasant, just like sticking your head inside a rubbish sack.”

Nick Herbert, the MP for South Downs and Arundel said: “I am very pleased if there is going to be a tightening up in the way this tip is operated.

“It has been a constant nuisance to the residents of Small Dole who have suffered from the noise and smells it generates.

“No one wanted the the life of the tip to be extended and if it is going to continue to operate it should be done in a proper manner.”