Neighbours in the street are furious over the number of sheep and have labelled it a “feedlot”.

Those claims have been denied by the owner.

“Council have told me there’s no problem with it,” Saul Duck said.

“It’s a fattening pen, if anything.

“I’ve got to do the best I can for my stock and myself ... if I didn’t feed them the RSPCA wouldn’t be very happy.”

Mr Duck said the lack of rain had forced him to put the sheep together and would prefer to have them feed on grass.

Residents have taken their concerns to councillors – writing to each of them.

Neighbour Maree Wright said the smell from the sheep was so bad she had taken her washing across town.

“You can’t open windows, you can’t leave clothes on the line and you can’t go out in the day especially in the early morning and late at night,” Mrs Wright said.

“It’s even worse when it rains because the air thickens - the dust isn’t as bad but the smell is much worse.

“I worry about the health for residents - there’s a girl up the road who has asthma and if there’s a lot of rain, it will become a water quality issue.”

Mrs Wright said she had no problems with sheep being on the property but the density, which she estimated at 2500 head, was too much.

“It’s a feedlot,” neighbour John Graham said.

“The smell and dust has become unbearable. You can’t deny a bloke earning a quid, but a little consideration for the neighbourhood is needed.”

Mayor Neil Smith said staff would go back to look at the issue and get parties to the negotiating table.

“Of course if they can’t get a result, there’s always the big stick of legislation and the law,” he said.

“A feedlot requires consent and it’s unlikely council would approve a feedlot there. I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t dealt with in a week.”