Do you smell gas? Odour riddle hangs over town
ENGINEERS remain baffled by the mysterious “gas” smell detected over parts of Southport on Monday evening ( July 10).
Residents took to social media to ask if there was a leak somewhere in the town, while Cadent - the company responsible for supplying gas to the area – received about 350 calls.
The company said that responded to every call and had not yet detected any gas in the area.
People from all over Southport reported the overwhelming smell, including Ocean Plaza, Churchtown, Birkdale and Kew.
Some residents suggested that the smell could be gas, while others thought it could be petrol, oil, burning plastic or tar.
Dina Kenny, a Facebook user, said: “My son woke us up at 12.30am and when he came in the house stunk of gas. We are on Roe lane. We all got up & yes it was horrendous & made me feel sick.”
Lisa Ohare, another Facebook user, added: “Smelt bad Marshide ways, from 11pm. I could actually taste it.”
A spokesman for Cadent said: “This happens from time to time, we get occasions when people think they can smell gas and we go out and can identify no it had gas. We call the phenomenon a gas cloud - it means there’s something in the air which people can smell and think it’s gas but it’s not.
“We had in the region of 350 calls in the Southport area overnight and we go out to each and everyone one of them.
“The key thing is if people think they can smell gas they should always ring us - it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“You should never think ‘I won’t call, everyone else is already asking about it’ because there could also be an isolated incident.”
The cause of the smell remains unknown, but residents have been instructed not to panic.
So-called “gas cloud phenomena” have previously been caused by petrol spillages on industrial sites or ships unloading, which have sent strong smells far distances.
Sefton council has also been notified of the situation and is investigating the cause of the smell.
A spokesman for the council said on Tuesday: “We have been informed that there was a strong gas-like smell in parts of Southport and Birkdale yesterday evening.
“It is understood that this has been investigated by the gas supplier who confirmed that gas was not detected.
“We are now looking into the cause of the smell, which appears to have subsided, and will closely monitor the situation to assess any pollution issues.”