Enlightenment! It’s the fault of foreigners, naturally.
Edited so I don’t have to link to the Daily Mail, since the BBC now has the story too:
A foul smell hanging over southern England is being blamed on easterly winds bringing either farming or industrial smells across the Channel.
Labelled “Euro-whiff” by the Met Office, the source of the smell – alternately described as sulphur and manure – is under investigation.
Take another look at that:
Labelled “Euro-whiff” by the Met Office
The Met Office is the UK’s national weather service, responsible for processing and interpreting reams of information gathered from satellites and weather stations in order to warn us when we’re about to be flooded, or burned, or blown away. They even issue the Shipping Forecast, for heaven’s sake – these are serious people, people! So I am underwhelmed that their initial response is to call it a “Euro-whiff”. It doesn’t seem an appropriately businesslike reaction.