Black Country mystery smell ruled out as gas leak

An unprecedented number of calls were made across Wednesbury, Walsall (pictured) and Tipton

A mystery smell that prompted calls to the fire service by worried residents was not a gas leak, a firm has said.

Distributor Cadent has been investigating since 20 residents reported a strong odour in areas across the Black Country, on Monday.

Fire crews were sent to a doctors surgery and three schools, two of which were evacuated.

But while the cause is still under investigation, Cadent said it was confident the gas network is safe.

The calls came from across Wednesbury, Walsall and Tipton.

'Our network is safe'

Elliott Nelson, from Cadent, said an unprecedented number of requests were made to the firm's emergency line.

He said: "Our checks are now complete and I can say confidently that our network is safe and natural gas did not cause or contribute to the incident.

"We will now continue to support other agencies that will be investigating the cause of the smell."

People have been urged to phone the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999 if they smell gas, suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, or notice damage to gas pipes.