New Cumnock residents have said they've had enough of what they say is the stench of "human excrement" from vacant land in the village.

Locals have reported an "awful smell" when lorries park up at across from the pharmacy on Castle.

It's a site that was due to have a housing development built on it, before plans were withdrawn.

It's an issue that has apparently been ongoing for a few months, with similar issues apparently happening just outside of the village as well.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) says it has been made aware of concerns about vehicles transporting sewage sludge to the Garleffan and Grievehill former opencast mining site near New Cumnock.

They say this is being done as part of restoration work "being undertaken at the site under a Waste Management Licence Exemption".

Garleffan and Grievehill.Garleffan and Grievehill. (Image: NQ Archive)

However, locals in New Cumnock have become concerned about the variety of issues this could cause, including for businesses and with health and safety.

Andy Clapperton from New Cumnock said that he had contacted SEPA and East Ayrshire Council (EAC), and had been told by both that it was an issue for the other body.

Working as part of the team at New Cumnock Swimming Pool, Andy says it's an issue that a lot of people are becoming fed up with.

READ MORE: Major development earmarked for vacant New Cumnock land

He said: “Everybody is up in arms about this, it’s absolutely disgraceful that this is happening.

“We’ve been told that every effort will be made to stop lorries parking here, but there’s no guarantees that the issue is going to stop.

“Where they park in New Cumnock is right across from the fish and chip shop and the pharmacy, so there’s obvious health and safety concerns with something like that.

“Last night, I was working at the swimming pool and this absolute stench came across and then people were leaving the pool because they couldn’t put up with it, so it’s a concern from that point of view that it could affect businesses as well."

He added: “It’s not a one-off, they’ve been parking here for a few months and they’re doing it every week night.

“If you chapped any doors on this road everybody would say the say the same thing, but everyone who has complained about has been given the same response about it and nothing is getting done.

“The people here are wanting to hold a meeting on August 28 with the community council and they’re going to be asking SEPA and the local authority to attend so we can get some answers about this."

Andy has since confirmed that a meeting is set to be held on August 28 at New Cumnock Bowling Club, with representatives from SEPA and EAC invited along.

READ MORE: Popular New Cumnock Greek café has been listed for sale

A SEPA spokesperson said: "SEPA regulate waste management activities at the location including offensive odours with offsite impact, however do not regulate odour from waste while in transit.

“We notified the site operator about these concerns and they informed us they have instructed waste transit vehicles to no longer stop in New Cumnock. We continue to liaise with the operator to ensure compliance with licence regulations.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank those members of the public who submitted reports.

"Anyone with concerns about incidents that may have an environmental impact can report environmental events to SEPA via our online form or by calling 0800 80 70 60."

East Ayrshire Council has also been contacted for comment.