Fire crews have been mistakenly called to reports of gas leaks in the Vale because of a smell which wafted over the English Channel from France.
Across much of Southern England a smell, described as ‘like rotting eggs’, was noticed which originated from a chemical leak at a factory in Rouen.
On Tuesday Bucks fire crews were wrongly called to reports of a gas leak at a house in Bedgrove’s Camborne Avenue at 12.47pm and Wendover’s Oakwood Close at 1.22pm.
A Health Protection Agency spokesman said: “It is caused by a particularly smelly chemical that is added to odourless natural gas to give that its characteristic smell.
“It is not toxic and has also been diluted before entering the air over England, so people should be reassured it will cause no harm.
“It is an unpleasant odour which may cause some people to feel slightly nauseous but it will dispel naturally.”
The smell was greeted with amusement on social networking site Twitter.
A Vale-based user, Cliff Hide, posted: “French gas cloud seems to have reached Buckinghamshire or maybe Aylesbury just smells.”
And @Jillth666 jokingly tweeted: “Anyone in Aylesbury Bedgrove and Stoke Grange/Elm Farm area smell gas?! Been like it all day AND I have a blocked nose!”
