Our lovely neighbours to the south are causing a right stink again....
French stench hits southern England after gas leak
Five years ago they gave us “le stink” and now the French have struck again with "le pong", as residents of south-eastern England were left choking on the remnants of another pungent Gallic release.
By Nick Collins, John-Paul Ford Rojas and Andrew Hough
22 Jan 2013
The Telegraph
The plant, which makes additives for industrial lubricants and paint, is owned by Lubrizol Photo: AFP
Households in Kent awoke to the stench of rotten eggs, cabbage and garlic wafting across the channel yesterday after the accidental release of a cloud of mercaptan gas from a factory in Rouen.
Authorities insisted the fug was harmless, but emergency services were nevertheless flooded with calls as the stench crept as far as Hampshire and London during the course of the day.
The National Grid said its gas emergency phone line had received more than 100,000 calls – an "unprecedented number" – by 2pm, with just 8,000 to 10,000 usually expected in one day.
Some local businesses were evacuated yesterday amid fears of gas leaks. Residents across much of Kent reported a "very strong smell of gas", forcing many to frantically check their homes.
The local fire service said it had received a "large volume of calls" while authorities were dispatched to more than half-a-dozen different areas to check whether any buildings were leaking gas.
After initial fears of a major gas leak were dispelled, residents complained of retching due to the sulphurous smell while in France people reported suffering headaches and nausea.
It came five years after “le stink” – the infamous occasion when parts of England were subjected to the reek of French agricultural waste blowing across from the continent.
The offending agent on this occasion was a cloud of mercaptan gas, the “stenching agent” added to odourless municipal gas used in ovens and heating systems.
French stench hits southern England after gas leak - Telegraph
French stench hits southern England after gas leak
Five years ago they gave us “le stink” and now the French have struck again with "le pong", as residents of south-eastern England were left choking on the remnants of another pungent Gallic release.
By Nick Collins, John-Paul Ford Rojas and Andrew Hough
22 Jan 2013
The Telegraph
The plant, which makes additives for industrial lubricants and paint, is owned by Lubrizol Photo: AFP
Households in Kent awoke to the stench of rotten eggs, cabbage and garlic wafting across the channel yesterday after the accidental release of a cloud of mercaptan gas from a factory in Rouen.
Authorities insisted the fug was harmless, but emergency services were nevertheless flooded with calls as the stench crept as far as Hampshire and London during the course of the day.
The National Grid said its gas emergency phone line had received more than 100,000 calls – an "unprecedented number" – by 2pm, with just 8,000 to 10,000 usually expected in one day.
Some local businesses were evacuated yesterday amid fears of gas leaks. Residents across much of Kent reported a "very strong smell of gas", forcing many to frantically check their homes.
The local fire service said it had received a "large volume of calls" while authorities were dispatched to more than half-a-dozen different areas to check whether any buildings were leaking gas.
After initial fears of a major gas leak were dispelled, residents complained of retching due to the sulphurous smell while in France people reported suffering headaches and nausea.
It came five years after “le stink” – the infamous occasion when parts of England were subjected to the reek of French agricultural waste blowing across from the continent.
The offending agent on this occasion was a cloud of mercaptan gas, the “stenching agent” added to odourless municipal gas used in ovens and heating systems.
French stench hits southern England after gas leak - Telegraph
