The smell of a suspected gas leak in St Albans turned out to be caused by lacquer.

Firefighters were called by the police at 1.40am today to reports of a gas leak at an empty property in Chestnut Drive.

When they arrived a gas supplier and a locksmith were already at the scene.

The firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, investigated the property and discovered that the smell was caused by a lacquer, which is a substance used to provide a protective coating to metal or wood.

The property was ventilated and firefighters left the scene by 2.31am.