Le Pong returns? Fears gas leak is crossing Channel

Dozens of reports have come from Bognor Regis about a gas smell

People living along the south east coast of England are complaining about a "terrible smell" thought to be wafting in from the Channel.

In 2013, the same region was bothered by a smell coming from a chemical plant in Rouen, France, which was dubbed Le Pong.

Now, residents in Chichester, Bognor and Littlehampton, in West Sussex, are reporting a new stench, being described as a "rich, potent gas smell".

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said it thought the smell was coming from the sea, and gas provider SGN said there was no evidence the smell was from its network.

Councillor Paul Wells, from Bognor Regis Town Council, said: "We can't seem to get anything out of anybody about what it might be, but it seems to be spreading across the south coast.

"Shops have been contacting us looking for advice and the gas board is overloaded with calls.

"It's a very rich, potent gas smell. It's making people feel faint. People want some answers."

The fire service said anyone who felt ill should dial 999 and urged anyone who thought they could smell gas to contact their utilities provider.

A spokesperson for SGN said on Tuesday: "We've received several calls this afternoon regarding a smell in the air in the Bognor Regis area.

"Our engineers are responding to individual reports, but there's nothing so far to suggest the smell is coming from our network."

Le Pong, in 2013, was caused when a cloud of gas escaped from the Lubrizol factory in northern France and was blown across England.

Lubrizol told the BBC on Wednesday that its sites in France were "operating as normal and safely, and are not experiencing a leak".

The coastguard confirmed it was called at 17:20 BST on Tuesday after reports of a "gas and diesel" smell at Selsey Bill.

"Investigations found no evidence of anything untoward," a spokesperson said.