Printer Ink Responsible For Swedish Pink Snow Panic

Residents in Stockholm made worried calls to city authorities about after spotting pink snow across parts of Sweden's capital yesterday (December 15th), but they needn't have worried – it was made from harmless old printer ink.

According to the German Press Agency, the pink snow was actually put out by a running club, the Stockholm Hash House Harriers, to mark sections of a trail for an upcoming race. Initially, there were concerns that the pink colour could mean rat poison, but it was found that the substance was actually made from printer ink and watercolour paints.

The local environment agency said that while the snow was not dangerous, people should not try to taste it, the news provider reported.

Describing itself as a "drinking club with a running problem", the Stockholm Hash House Harriers is one of many chapters of the 'hash' movement that was apparently started by expats in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938.

The 'hash' in the club's title refers not to marijuana but a type of hare and hounds race, in which flour or paper is laid to mark boundaries – with beer presumably being involved at some point.

Posted by Nicole Stevens.