MYSTERY surrounds a gas cloud that wafted through parts of the borough on Saturday night, echoing a similar mysterious cloud that hit East Sussex over the weekend.
Although no toxic fumes were reported by residents in Earley, there was a strong smell which some social media users said smelt like burning rubber or melting tar.
Some people said that the smell lingered into Sunday, while others wondered what caused it.
SGN, which manages the national gas network, was called out to check for a gas leak in parts of Chatteris Way and Wilderness Road, but could not find any evidence of one.
A spokesperson said: “We attended a number of reports of a smell of gas on Saturday evening. Our engineers carried out safety checks and there were no gas readings in the area which means the airborne smell was not related to our network.”
A similar incident was reported in the Dunfermline area last year, again with no reason given to the cause.
In the incident in East Sussex, 150 people were taken to hospital as a result of the gas cloud.
If you smell gas or are worried about gas safety, phone the National Gas Emergency Number on 0800 111 999.
