FEARS were raised in Paisley last night after the town centre was placed on lockdown following a suspected gas leak - but, it is now believed the smell was little more than a stink bomb gone wrong. 

Emergency services rushed to the town at around 9.30pm after reports of coughing and screaming in the Last Post pub. 

At least 8 fire engines, police, ambulance and environmental health units raced to the scene.

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The area was sealed off for several hours, but it is now being reported youths had set off a device in the crowded bar.

The town centre was restored to normal not long after the incident and there is no risk to the public. 

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon described the incident.

He said: “At around 8.15pm the pub manager was alerted to a gas substance in the air by a staff member.

“The pub was evacuated immediately and 999 called to say that we believed there to be some sort of serious gas leak. The emergency service controller said that they would get someone from the gas company out however it could be up to an hour.

“The pub was then contacted by someone who said that some of the people in the pub had been taken to A&E.

“The police were made aware of this.

“The gas engineer arrived and he concluded that it was not a gas leak. The manager was told to keep everyone out of the building.

“At around 9.30pm the fire brigade and police arrived and began to set up a cordon around entire pub and shut Paisley Gilmour Street train station."

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A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said they were called to attend the incident on Sunday night to support their emergency service colleagues. 

He addded: "Operations Control mobilised a number of fire engines to the town's County Square, where crews assisted their partners.

"Firefighters thereafter left the scene."