Kidderminster chemical leak: Part of hospital evacuated

Emergency services evacuated people from a section of Kidderminster Hospital following the incident

A section of Kidderminster Hospital was evacuated after reports of hazardous materials, firefighters have said.

Six crews tackled a chemical leak at the site on Bewdley Road, after being called to the scene just after 10:30 GMT.

No serious injuries have been reported, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

Worcestershire Acute NHS confirmed services would be running as normal on Friday.

The incident happened in the Endoscopy Department.

It was caused by a leakage of the fluid used to clean endoscopes in the decontamination room, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said.

'Completely resolved'

The trust said the substance was found in many disinfectants and smelled like strong bleach.

As a result, the hospital had to cancel some of its Thursday afternoon appointments. It has issued an apology to the patients affected.

The trust had originally said it would reopen the unit "as soon as we can be sure it is safe to do so".

In an update on X, a spokesperson said: "The incident involving a spillage of cleaning fluid has been completely resolved. All patients should attend their appointments as planned."