Foul smell complaints in Kent and Sussex after gas leakContinue reading the main story
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A cloud of foul-smelling but harmless gas has leaked out of a factory in north-western France, drifting across the Channel and prompting complaints from Paris to south-eastern England.
The leak is blamed on a chemical factory in Rouen, and many residents compared the odour to diesel fumes.
Police in Kent and Sussex said they had received a large number of calls from people worried about the odour.
The gas is reported believed to be mercaptan, an additive to natural gas.
It leaked on Monday from a plant near Rouen, 75 miles (120km) north-west of Paris. Winds blew the cloud over northern France on Monday night and then into England on Tuesday.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and police said reports had started coming in from Surrey, and London Fire Brigade had received 25 calls by Tuesday afternoon. Complaints also came from residents in Hampshire.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service has advised residents to keep doors and windows closed if they had concerns, or were elderly or asthmatic.
But area commander Martin Adams said there were no serious concerns and he urged people not to call the fire service.
Mercaptan is an organic compound containing sulphur, known for its strong, unpleasant odour.
'Unpleasant aroma'
One resident in Cheriton, east Kent, said there had been reports of a strong smell in Ashford, Lydd and Hythe.
Tania Bartlett told the BBC that people "all over Facebook" were talking about it.
And Canterbury resident Andrew Roberts said: "Just stuck my head out of the back door here in south Canterbury - strong smell of fuel oil in the air."
Sussex Police said it had been receiving reports of a gas smell along the East Sussex coast.
The force said Kent Police had also received a larger number of calls.
In a statement, a Sussex Police spokesman said: "We understand that this smell emanates from an accidental factory discharge in Rouen.
"It is an unpleasant odour which may cause some people to feel slightly nauseous” - Health Protection Agency
"The smell is from an additive to the gas which has an unpleasant aroma but is not toxic and there is no danger to the public."
'Rotten eggs'
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said officers were responding to reports of an unpleasant odour.
He said: "We understand that a factory in Rouen has reported a leak of a harmless chemical which is added to natural gas to make it detectable.
"We expect that this is causing the smell but we are working with partners locally to rule out other potential sources."
He added: "The odour is detectable at very low concentrations and should dissipate naturally over time."
The HPA said in a statement: "The smell drifting over Southern England today poses no risk to public health.
"The odour, which is similar to rotten eggs, has been noticed by people mainly in Kent, East and West Sussex and some parts of Surrey."
It said the non-toxic chemical which had blown across the Channel would also have been diluted before entering the air over England.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21141351
