Nine children rushed to hospital after 'chlorine leak' at UK leisure centre

Nine children were taken to hospital following reports of a chemical leak at a leisure centre in Vale Farm, Sudbury, on August 29. Two adults were also hospitalised. 

Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the area in Wembley, northwest London, after being called at 1.40pm to attend the incident. 

Met Police officers cordoned off the Everyone Active Sports Centre following an evacuation. Road closures were also enforced as a precautionary measure. 

A spokesperson for Met Police said, “Police were called at 13:40hrs on Thursday, 29 August to reports of a chlorine leak at a pool in Watford Road, Wembley.  

“Officers, the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade are in attendance. 

“The leisure centre has been evacuated as a precaution and road closures are in place.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said of the incident: "We were called at 1.34pm today (29 August) to reports of a chlorine leak on Watford Road, Wembley. We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, incident response officers and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).

“We treated nine children and two adults at the scene before taking them all to hospital.”  

The service later said a chlorine leak was found in the learner pool on the ground floor of the three-storey building. 

Firefighters, the London Ambulance Service said, worked for around two hours and "ventilated the area and monitored the levels of fumes until there were no elevated readings". 

The London Fire Brigade said in a statement: "The brigade was called at 1.42pm and the incident was over for firefighters by 3.43pm. Two fire engines, two Fire Rescue Units and around 20 firefighters from Northolt, Wembley, and Euston fire stations attended the scene." 

Around 150 people had left the building before their arrival, the force also said.