St Albans swimming pool closed due to chemical leak
- Published
Fire crews were sent to the leisure centre after a chemical incident was reported
A swimming pool has been evacuated after reports of a chlorine gas leak.
Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre in St Albans was cleared of people just before 15:00 GMT and the area has been closed off by Hertfordshire Police.
Two men who had "minimal exposure" were taken to hospital for further assessment, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
A spokesman for Everyone Active, which runs the pool, said the facility would reopen at 19:00.
Four fire engines, two ambulances, two hazardous area response teams and a rapid response vehicle from the ambulance service attended.
Police closed off roads around the centre.
An ambulance service spokesperson said they were called just before 15:00.
"Two adult men who had minimal exposure were transported to Watford General Hospital for further assessment and observation," the spokesperson said.
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Donna Myerthall was passing the leisure centre at the time and said she "heard all the sirens, then saw the fire engines there".
"I could see it was something serious, as there were ambulances and police cars outside as well," she said.
"The police had closed off some roads and wardens were diverting people away from the area."
A person who said they were a member of staff at the leisure centre later posted in a local Facebook group to say that the incident happened around 14:30 and the building was evacuated.
They said the incident happened in a plant room, not accessible to the public.
Steve Cox, contract manager at Everyone Active, said: "Westminster Lodge was evacuated this afternoon due to an incident in the centre.
"We're pleased to confirm that Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre will reopen from 19:00 this evening. We're sorry for any inconvenience caused to our customers and thank them for their patience."
The centre is managed in partnership with St Albans City & District Council.
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