Safety scare as water plant is hit by gas leak
Thursday, 9th September 1999.
RESIDENTS living near a water treatment plant were warned to stay inside and keep their windows shut after a leak of chlorine gas.
The scare occurred at Great Wratting, near Haverhill, after a valve leaked when it was being changed from one cylinder of chlorine gas to another.
A spokesman for Anglian Water said police issued warnings to residents and anglers fishing on a nearby river as a precaution.
The leak occurred on Wednesday last week and the gas was contained within the storage room and removed safely by the evening.
No-one within the plant was injured or affected by the leak of the gas, which could make people's eyes sting and make them feel unwell if it got into the atmosphere. The faulty valve was being returned to the manufacturer to see why it leaked.
"It is very rare for something like this to happen, but we do have procedures to deal with it. We were very pleased with the way it was handled. We took routine precautions and it worked very well.
"The leak was contained in our storage area and there was no danger to our workforce or members of the public. Police advised members of the public to stay indoors purely as a precautionary measure, after we called the fire service as a routine precaution," a spokesman said.
The scare occurred at Great Wratting, near Haverhill, after a valve leaked when it was being changed from one cylinder of chlorine gas to another.
A spokesman for Anglian Water said police issued warnings to residents and anglers fishing on a nearby river as a precaution.
The leak occurred on Wednesday last week and the gas was contained within the storage room and removed safely by the evening.
No-one within the plant was injured or affected by the leak of the gas, which could make people's eyes sting and make them feel unwell if it got into the atmosphere. The faulty valve was being returned to the manufacturer to see why it leaked.
"It is very rare for something like this to happen, but we do have procedures to deal with it. We were very pleased with the way it was handled. We took routine precautions and it worked very well.
"The leak was contained in our storage area and there was no danger to our workforce or members of the public. Police advised members of the public to stay indoors purely as a precautionary measure, after we called the fire service as a routine precaution," a spokesman said.
Comment on this story
[board listing] [login] [register]
You must be logged in to post messages. (login now)