WHEN staff at a York estate agency noticed a strong smell of gas, they launched well-rehearsed health and safety procedures.

They opened windows at Otisdale's offices in Micklegate and evacuated the premises, before calling in gas operators United Utilities to investigate the source of the leak.

Experts from the gas supply company checked out the building, and even adjoining premises, but could find no trace of any gas and eventually left.

Employees then returned inside. But a little later, branch manager Rob Letts noticed the smell once more.

This time, to the astonishment and hilarity of staff, the source of the leak was discovered to be...in his pocket.

A fault in his cigarette lighter meant it had been pouring out gas.

Otisdale director Colin Cain said: "It was just a freak thing. We had just sat down for our morning meeting on Thursday, in which we go through how everything is progressing, when there was a strong smell of gas. Everybody could smell it strongly.

"We immediately operated safety procedures and opened doors and windows and then evacuated the building.

"Transco checked out the whole office with their high tech equipment. They couldn't find anything.

"When we got back in, Rob noticed the smell again, although no one else could smell it by now - presumably because the lighter was running out of gas."

Rob said: "It must have jammed down. The irony of it is that the lighter had been given to me by a colleague who had given up smoking.

"I think this will give me the incentive to give up smoking myself!"

Richard Felton, spokesman for United Utilities, which took over the gas network in the area on June 1, said: "We would always advise people to contact us, should they ever smell gas or have any concerns about gas.

"In this incident, the staff did the responsible thing."

Updated: 11:17 Monday, August 01, 2005