Quest to solve the mystery of town's 'eggy' smell

It has been described as "eggy", "gassy", "stagnant" and "sulphurous".

People living in Calne, Wiltshire, are being plagued by a smell so bad it has woken them up at night - but its source remains a mystery.

It often lingers over the town in the early hours of the morning and has been doing so for months.

More than one organisation has been involved in investigating the smell - but what could it be?

Shopkeeper Christa Phillips, who has lived in Calne for 10 years, said it smells like gas

Christa Phillips has started keeping her shop door open to let the fresh air in when there is no smell.

She tends to notice it most when she opens up the Little Button Jar - a haberdashery and craft shop - first thing in the morning.

"It smells like you've been cooking with gas but haven't lit the gas. I have checked - we haven't got any gas in the building.

"Other times a rural smell, a bit more eggy, that one I can cope with," she said.

Customers have been talking about it, but not all have smelt it.

Ms Phillips has lived in Calne for a decade and said it is the first time she has experienced the gassy smell, but that it is intermittent.

It has been reported that the smell has stretched to nearby villages too, as far away as Lyneham.

People in the town have been pondering the causes of the pong, but some have not caught a whiff of it

Aside from Ms Phillips, a few people have told the BBC that it smells a bit like gas - but that has been checked and no gas leak has been detected.

One of the other options is a problem with water in the area.

Wessex Water, the company that covers Calne, said it cannot find a problem.

"We've carried out odour assessments at our sewerage assets, which are operating normally, and offered to meet with representatives of Wiltshire Council to help with their investigations."

Wiltshire Council is continuing to investigate.

Parvis Khansari, one of the corporate directors at the council, said they are in touch with the Environment Agency about the issue.

Calne is close to a landfill site in Lower Compton and also has a nearby household recycling centre, run by Hills.

Residents that the BBC has spoken to have mixed views on this, with some convinced the smell is linked to the landfill site or recycling centre.

But a local councillor, who has fielded hundreds of messages on the problem, said he has looked into it and it is not the cause.

He also explained the town's Beversbrook Sports Facility was not to blame either.

The Environment Agency has told the BBC that it is working with the council and is visiting sites it regulates to "ensure that they are compliant with their permits".

This means that the quest for a source of stench continues.

Additional reporting by Emma Colman and Will Glennon.