A FAMILY living next door to a bus depot say its vehicle-washing operation is making their lives a misery.

Varughese Koshy says fumes and noise from the apparatus – hailed as "green and clean" on Arriva North West and Wales' website – at the depot in Ffynnongroew Road, Rhyl has "shattered" his family's home life.

He said: "There’s this horrible, very strong bleach smell that is suffocating.

"It’s bad enough when it’s damp, but now it's getting hotter what are we going to do?

"We can't open our windows or doors in the evening. It's going to be even more unbearable."

The £3 million installation was recently relocated from alongside the nearby 'H' bridge and upgraded with a water recycling design.

It now runs alongside the garden wall of the Koshy family's home on Barry Road South.

Mr Koshy, who has lived at the property for 10 years, said: "I don’t know why they chose to move it right next to us, but ever since they have my life is upside down. It has really shattered our home life."

He says things have been particularly difficult for he and his wife Jessy Joy's children, Job,12, and Hannah, seven, both of whom suffer from asthma.

According to Mr Koshy, the children cannot use the garden after school because of the cleaning fumes and a mist of dirt, grease and cleaning products, which he says often blows into the garden.

Mr Koshy added: "The children will complain of a bad smell and sometimes they even tell me they feel nauseous or have a headache afterwards.

"We need to be able to breathe. Surely we have a right to fresh air?”

Mr Koshy also say there are also continuous "beeping sounds" from buses reversing and a constant buzz of cleaning rollers every day between 5.30pm and 9.30pm.

And he says a light from the unit shines directly into his bedroom window.

Mr Koshy has written numerous letters to Arriva's area managing director, Michael Morton, detailing his complaints, but he says he is yet to receive a response.

Arriva has a proposed to put up a three-metre acoustic boundary fence alongside Mr Koshy's boundary wall and a new roof to the bus wash to contain 'over-spray'

However, six consultation responses objecting to the proposal have been received from residents in Barry Road South, Terence Avenue and Fynongroew Road.

A member of the Wellspring Christian Centre, Mr Koshy has now turned to the congregation for support as well as contacting Ann Jones, AM for the Vale of Clwyd.

A spokesman for Ms Jones said: “I’ve attempted to negotiate with all the interested parties in this ongoing piece of casework.

"I’m attempting to seek a favourable outcome for Mr Koshy.”

The Rev Mike Bettaney, pastor of the Wellspring Christian Centre, said: “It’s a David and Goliath story... so we as a congregation will fight for his family."

And Mr Bettaney said of Arriva's proposals: “We and the Koshys are strongly object to this solution because it won’t solve the problem.

"Why should the family lose light in their garden for an unsightly wall for a facility that should never have been moved?"

At a Rhyl Town Council planning meeting last month, the application was deferred pending the receipt of additional information following a site visit.

Arriva has been approached by the Journal for comment.