World’s smelliest fruit sparks 'gas leak' alarm in town centre
The durian fruit is a southeast Asian delicacy with a pungent rotting smell.
A foul-smelling fruit sparked panic as the stench was mistaken for a 'gas leak' in a Lancashire town.
Listen to this article
Locals in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, panicked after noticing a "strong smell of gas" emanating from the high street.
The concern was first reported by a charity shop, prompting an engineer from Cadent to arrive and begin a full investigation.
The source of the panic was revealed to be a a southeast Asian delicacy notorious for its overpowering, rotten smell.
Read More: Police appeal after St George’s Cross painted on funfair goose mascot
Read More: ‘African tribe’ camping in Scottish woods stays put despite council’s deadline
Wai Peng Cheng, a shop assistant at Strongs Fruit and Veg, next door to the charity shop, said he and his partner, Candy Pooi Kuan Lam, had “no idea” why an engineer suddenly appeared outside.
Mr Cheng, 51, told The Times: "We saw a gas engineer pull up in front of the shop at around 1pm and he went into the charity shop next door.
"About an hour later he tried the body care shop on the other side before coming inside Strongs.
"He said he was looking for a gas leak and that the charity shop next door had reported it after a customer told them about the strong gassy smell."
It was only later that they realised the culprit was the fruit sitting on their own display.
Mr Cheng continued: "When he mentioned the smell, I told him it was the durian but he didn’t believe me at first.
"It was only when I took him outside and gave one to him that he realised. We all just started laughing. It was hilarious."
He and Ms Lam had first encountered the fruit while on holiday in Malaysia and persuaded shop owner Andrew Simpkins, 61, to start stocking it.
The fruit was delivered on September 16 and put out for £22 per 500g.
Mr Simpkins quickly admitted he had underestimated the pungency.
He said: “I knew it smelled bad but I didn’t think it would bring the gas board out.
"They told me there were some police officers there too.”
Despite the confusion, he said the durians had "flown off the shelf".
Phil Hendrick, head of operational delivery at Cadent’s northwest branch, confirmed no gas was found during their checks.
He said: "Over the years, we’ve traced reported smells to a variety of sources — from factory discharges and aviation fuel, to dockside activities and, on this occasion, durian fruit, which is known for its particularly strong odour."