Panic stricken homeowners are bombarding councils with calls after a potentially fatal radioactive gas was found in South Bucks.

They are demanding answers after South Bucks was included for the first time on a map showing areas at risk of Radon gas.

Anyone buying or selling a house has been told this - and are panicking as a result.

It has led to a flood of calls to Wycombe District Council's David Ab Iorwerth, who makes sure ground for housing is not contaminated.

Alarm bells ring which they are asked as part of the conveyancing procedure whether the property is located in a radon affected area?' Mr Iorwerth said: "To the horror of house purchasers in the south Buckinghamshire area, the answer very often comes back as a panic inducing yes."

But he said: "The good news is that south Bucks and the South East as a whole is low risk largely due to favourable geology.

"The typical local response to the radon question is that there is a one-three per cent chance of any property being above the critical level - one to three homes in every hundred.

He added: "Most people are comfortable with this level of risk but given that there are many hundreds of local property transactions a year then statistically a minority may be at risk.

Yet the council is taking it seriously and will place Radon information on its website and send data to solicitors and estate agents.

Radon is a natural occurring radioactive gas emitted from different soils and rocks, typically granite and shale.

It seeps into buildings and can build up to high levels in unventilated areas like basements.

Prolonged exposure to high levels can kill - and is the second most frequent cause of lung cancer after smoking.