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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Antony Thrower & Olivia Williams

Town plagued by 'awful' mystery smell as locals fear gas leak - but no source found

Residents of a popular town claimed they are plagued by a mystery stench amid concerns of a possible gas leak.

People from Skelmersdale reported on social media they could smell the bizarre whiff all of yesterday and into today.

Several have reported it to the emergency gas line amid fears there was a leak somewhere in town, putting lives at risk, the Liverpool Echo reported.

One said: “We passed White Moss at 6.30pm whilst on m58 it was bad... returned at 11.30pm, still awful. I feel so sorry for residents living closer. I will report it now.”

Another said: "It's still around now, smells awful."

People from Skelmersdale, Lancs, have reported the issue to authorities (Google)

Another concerned person added: "It was horrendous yesterday on the M58 as we drove past the landfill.”

A spokesman for gas distributors Cadent said they received a number of calls on Tuesday from people worried they could smell gas.

They added engineers "checked everything" and there were no readings to suggest it was natural gas.

The spokesperson said all Cadent can do is rule out natural gas and added across Merseyside, smells like this have been traced back to industrial processes, landfill sites, activities at docks, and other things. However, it is unclear whether this is the case here.

They added: "A very important point to make though is that it is ALWAYS the right thing to do to call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999, immediately, if you think you smell gas. Don’t dismiss it as related to this.

The gas firm encouraged people to always report mystery smells (Getty Images)

"Our worry in a case like this is that, in amongst the calls that turn out not to be gas, is a completely unrelated case that is gas - so always call and we will check.”

Last month Brits living near a controversial landfill site were stuck indoors on the hottest day of the year because of an eggy stench coming from the rubbish dump.

Residents in Silverdale, North Staffordshire, claimed they could not open their windows because of the foul smell and the risk of flies coming inside.

Neighbours said the stench from Walleys Quarry was so bad it made them feel sick, StokeonTrentLive reported.

It meant many in the area could not lounge in the garden as temperatures soared.

Donna Lovatt, who lived within a mile of the quarry, is among those affected.

She said: “When the weather ’s hot we have to shut the windows because of all the flies, it's terrible.

It’s gotten worse over the years. We know the warm weather is coming and we can't enjoy it.

“Sometimes, we do tend to sit in the garden but a lot of the time we have to come in because the smell is that bad, it’s eggy.

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