Birling Gap chemical haze stopped helicopters flying

Symptoms included vomiting and eye, throat and skin irritation

Helicopters could not be used to investigate a chemical haze on the Sussex coast last summer as it was not known if the gas was explosive.

Birling Gap was evacuated and more than 150 people needed hospital treatment.

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) were asked for help by Sussex emergency teams, but they said their aircraft could not fly, documents show.

East Sussex fire service used gas detection units, but found nothing.

People reported burning eyes, sore throats, skin irritation and vomiting after the gas engulfed the beach on the August bank holiday weekend.

Initially, patients were given full decontamination as a precaution

Eastbourne's MP has criticised a local lack of equipment to assess the cloud.

Lib Dem MP Stephen Lloyd, who has previously made calls for monitoring and equipment, said: "It is palpably ridiculous how crazy it is that they didn't have a system that could assess just how dangerous or not this haze was.

"People couldn't even fly overhead, you know the MoD and the rest. Just imagine if someone had died."

Birling Gap beach is part of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs

Police, fire and ambulance logs were released to BBC Sussex under a freedom of information request.

They showed the timeline of events from first reports of the cloud at about 17:00 BST on 27 August last year to when the incident was stood down.

• Chemical haze 'caused by ship'

• Ozone level 'spiked during chemical mist'

• Scores treated after chemical 'mist'

Entries on the Sussex Police log included:

• 18:40 NPAS to do a sweep of the coastline to see if anything untoward has washed up please

• 18:41 NPAS not flying as unknown cause/chemical

• 19:09 UK Coastguard - unfortunately MoD have declined air support due to hazards

The fire service log said detection equipment was in use by 19:20 BST, but an update at 20:02 BST said "gas monitors used but nothing of note".

The chemical mist hit the Birling Gap beach during a busy bank holiday weekend

In a statement, East Sussex Fire and Rescue said it had equipment on two specialist vehicles which could detect and measure chlorine and bromine and also flammable gases.

But it added: "The equipment was set up and nothing was found."

It said: "Some fire services do have detection identification and monitoring equipment. Our nearest such equipment is in Kent or Surrey.

"This equipment was requested. However, it would not be on site for about an hour at best.

"By this time, the gas cloud had dispersed and no trace could be found."

The BBC understands the fire service is considering acquiring extra equipment in consultation with the Environment Agency.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We are confident that the fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work.

"It is for each fire and rescue authority to determine the level of resources required."