AN extractor flue at a Thai restaurant in Bournemouth has been accused of kicking up a stink.

The FAB Hotel in West Cliff Road installed the flue around a year ago without planning permission, causing neighbours to complain about its appearance as well as noise and food smells.

Bournemouth council has rejected permission for the existing flue, but at a meeting on Wednesday the planning board approved a new design much shorter than the original.

Addressing the board, resident Ruth Walker said noise and vibrations from the extractor were distressing nearby elderly residents, and had driven one neighbour with mental health issues back onto their medication.

"We have lived with this unit for months and are well aware of the misery it has caused," she said.

Dubbing the cooking odour "nasty", she said: "The present flue, while an eyesore, is well above roof level. Thai cooking is more smelly than most other cuisine."

The objectors were backed by ward councillor John Beesley. In a letter read out by acting board chairman Pat Oakley, he said the restaurant was "completely inappropriate in a residential area" and that lowering the flue "could serve to create more persistent cooking smells for neighbouring residents".

Planning officers reminded board members that the restaurant, sited in a conservation area, has planning permission. The board heard that council environmental health inspectors were not concerned about the noise levels or smells, and that in the last month a more heavy duty filter had been installed.

Cllr Stephen Bartlett said: "It seems to me a lot of work has been done to make it less obtrusive."

He added: "Some extraction system is required to support the cooking going on at the hotel."

Representing applicant Medi Vahdata, solicitor Philip Day said his client had received bad advice and installed an overly large flue in a bid to appease environmental health officers.

"This application overcomes these issues," he said.

"What you have is considerably smaller and more in keeping with the nature of the building."