Mystery of strange white powder spotted on Bristol's roads and footpaths

Piles of flour-like dust have left Bristol walkers bewildered after spotting suspicious white powder across the city.

In a now deleted Bristol community Facebook post, a woman expresses her concern having seen the mysterious patch around lamp posts in Blackberry Hill.

She states that it wasn’t the first time she had witnessed the strange looking powder and wondered if others had seen it too.

One commenter said they had to ‘drag’ their dog away from sniffing a spot underneath a motorway out of fear the powder could be dangerous.

Another amusingly said his Whippets often enjoyed ‘a bit of joggers powder’.

While another said the powder had been left there by ‘a drinking club with a running problem’.

But while there have been many sightings, there is still very little information about what it is and why it has been springing up all across the region.

And though these encounters have often been mistaken as toxic, there is a tale behind its usage.

Flour on a footpath in Blackberry Hill (Jonathan Myers/Bristol Live)

What is this strange powder?

According to Bristol Hash House Harriers, a social running group founded in 1983, the ‘suspicious-looking white powder’ sprinkled around public paths or roads, are ‘ blobs of plain flour’ used to mark out trials.

The group, established in 1938, is part of a worldwide network of Hash House Harriers which take part in non-competitive running and often socialise at local pubs following the activities.

What is Hashing?

It started with a mid 19th Century game played by children in rugby schools in the UK, in which some players (hounds) would chase others (hares), who had left a trail of paper scraps along their route.

Today the sport, coined by the term ‘Hashing’, has become a non-competitive running exercise for adults wanting to improve their fitness.

The goal is to partake in various running events in and around the city set by following trails marked out by using flour.

But unless you are versed in the history of ‘Hare’ and ‘Hounds’, these peculiar white markers can easily set off alarm bells.

More information about the history of Hashing can be found here.