BA plane makes emergency landing due to 'nasty' cannabis smell: 'The whole area stank'

'We were told the air con would clear it but it got even stronger'

The pilot turned back as a precaution and the flight was met by fire crews when it landed at Gatwick (Getty)

A British Airways flight to Greece was forced to make an emergency landing at Gatwick after a "nasty smell" filled the cabin.

Passengers complained of smelling a foul odour which was compared to the smell of cannabis on the flight to Heraklion.

The pilot turned back as a precaution and the flight was met by fire crews when it landed at Gatwick 90 minutes later.

Passenger Simon Skinner tweeted: "British-Airways flight to heraklion turned back after nasty smell. Disappointed holidaymakers."

Stuart Barnes told The Sun: "We were four rows from the back and the whole area stank. Everyone was saying it was cannabis.

"We were told the air con would clear it but it got even stronger."

Passengers were eventually put on a rescheduled flight at midday.

A BA spokeswoman said no evidence of cannabis or anybody smoking cannabis was found on the plane.

She said: "Our pilot returned the aircraft to Gatwick as a precaution following reports of an unidentified strong smell in the cabin.

"We are sorry for the delay to our customers' journeys."

It remains unclear what the cause of the strange smell was.