A luxury £695-a-night hotel and country club has been forced to shut after a chemical leak created huge plume of fumes leading firefighters to scramble to the scene.
An urgent warning was sent out this morning telling residents living in leafy Eynsham in Oxfordshire to keep their windows and doors shut until the fumes pouring from the Estelle Manor had cleared.
Thames Valley Police, who also attended the scene in North Leigh, said a substance used for cleaning the hotel’s swimming pools had leaked and caused a chemical reaction.
Guests who had been staying on the posh estate, which boasts of a 3,000 square metre Roman-inspired spa, for the weekend were evacuated from the buildings, while others were ‘turned away on arrival’.
The hotel, which is sister of Mayfair’s private members club Maison Estelle, is a known celebrity hotspot, with Amanda Holden and Alan Carr spotted celebrating the New Year at the manor in January.
Videos showed the Britain’s Got Talent star and the comedian on a wild night out, along with her daughters Lexi, 17, and Hollie, 11. Also at the swanky country club to ring in 2024 were actors Jane Wall and Scott Neal.
Peter Crouch and his wife Abbey Clancy are also known to visit the private members’ club.
The model and mother-of-four previously spoke about it on the couple’s podcast – Therapy Crouch – saying that the manor was in the perfect location as it was only a 10 minute drive for design outlet shopping centre Bicester Village.
‘It is 10 minutes from Bicester village so it was literally my perfect little dirty weekend in a hotel,’ she said.
It is no surprise that the beautiful manor attracts Britain’s rich and famous from all over the country.
Just like its London branch – which attracts royalty such as Princess Beatrice and Eugenie and huge stars such as Noel Gallagher – the manor attracts an array of celebs.
The Oxfordshire-based Grade-II listed Landmark House is spread over the huge 85-acre estate surrounded by more than 3,000 acres of parkland and gardens.
The award-winning country club has four restaurants on site include the traditional Brasserie, a Chinese restaurant called The Billiards Room, a family-style dining hub called The Glasshouse and a retro bar called The Living Room.
The manor has plenty of activities available on site for guests off all ages. This includes a huge range of supervised kids activities, target sports on site, foraging and an introduction to falconry.
The main attraction, however, is the Eynsham Baths, which is complimentary for private members and costs £95 per person for hotel guests. It is not available for the public and only those over 18 can enter.
There is a large bathing hall, along with five thermal pools, a lounge and 10 treatment rooms.
An array of spa treatments are on offer from body scrubs, to facials, massages and even single infusion IVs which claim to help combat jetlag or boost immune systems.
Last night, the hotel confirmed that the chemical incident had occurred in the South Terrace swimming pool pump room – away from the spa area.
The room was still being ventilated yesterday evening but a spokesperson for the hotel said it would be fully ventilated ‘shortly’.
One guest, who was supposed to stay at the hotel for a few nights from Sunday was turned away at the gates.
‘Was supposed to stay there for a few nights beginning today,’ he said on social media. ‘Was turned away at the gate and saw the fire brigade arrive.’
It is unknown if any celebrities were staying at the hotel at the time of the incident.
A statement released by Maison Estelle, who own the manor, said: ‘Staff discovered a chemical incident in the South Terrace swimming pool pump room and we are working with the Fire Service to safely ventilate the room.
‘We expect the affected pump room to be fully ventilated shortly and apologise to members, guests and our neighbours for any inconvenience.’
Thames Valley Police said: ‘Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service alongside Thames Valley Police have attended an incident this morning in North Leigh.
‘Sodium [hydro] Chloride, a chemical used for cleaning swimming pools has leaked and caused a reaction.
‘Fire & Rescue are ventilating the building and residents between Eynsham Hall and the A40 should shut windows and doors until the plume has dissipated, which may take several hours.’