Residents wake up to a bad smell thanks to French gas leak

Police have confirmed that the sulphur-like odour, which has travelled hundreds of miles from the source in Normandy, is non-toxic.

Shortly after 7.30am Sussex Police began to receive calls from concerned members of the public along the East Sussex coast reporting a smell of gas, and by 9.15am they had received more than 25 calls.

Kent Police have also received a large number of calls.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service’s duty officer, Neal Robinson, said: “It appears that a large quantity of Mercaptan (the chemical introduced as a stenching agent to natural gas) has been released from a factory in France. The cloud first travelled south, but has now travelled north and arrived in Sussex - particularly in the Hastings / Bexhill area, at present and as far north as Battle.

“Members of the public can be reassured that although the gas has an unpleasant smell, there is no danger to the public.”

The leak in France occurred on Monday morning at the Lubrizol France plant near Rouen, 60 miles west of Paris.