'Burning plastic' smell forces East Sussex residents to seal themselves inside homes

A noxious smell has forced residents of a town in East Sussex to stay inside with the windows and doors locked.

Residents of Seaford began to notice the stench on Friday evening (27 October), with some complaining of stinging eyes and nausea. One person who contacted the Sussex Police likened the smell to "burning plastic".

Emergency services told people to stay indoors and police are working with the coastguard, East Sussex fire services and Lewes council to track down the cause of the smell.

In August, around 150 people were treated at hospital after being caught in a strange "chemical haze" over the East Sussex coastline.

Residents and visitors exposed to the cloud reported sore eyes and irritated throats.

It is believed the fumes, first reported in the Birling Gap area, was the result of a ship illegally flushing its tanks with chemicals.

"[Given the weather] it is highly likely that any effect will have come from the UK side or, possibly, a vessel running close to shore with the tide bringing material towards the beach," University of Southampton National Oceanography Centre's Simon Boxall said in a statement.

Police have said the latest Seaford incident is not related to the August haze.