MYSTERY persisted today over a gas cloud which coated Whitstable yesterday. No one in the seaside resort seemed to be sure what it was.

The vapours hung over the town for most of the day and several people called Transco, police and the council. Engineers used special equipment to investigate but still were no closer to the reason for the cloud.

A spokesman for gas company Transco said: “People were reporting a smell of natural gas so we sent people down to investigate. We found no trace of a gas escape so whatever the vapour was it was definitely not gas.”

Several schools kept children indoors at break as a precaution. A police spokesman said: “We had quite a few calls. The cloud seemed to be coming from the south and it spread across to Canterbury.”

Council engineers also investigated. A spokesman said: “Some people described it as gassy, some said fuel oil, some said eggs and others thought it smelt like cars.

“We are working with the Environment Agency to find out where it came from. Two possibilities are that the strong easterly wind is blowing fumes from the cargo ship off Thanet or that smells are coming from the continent.”