Nine children and two adults have been rushed to hospital after a swimming pool chlorine chemical leak.
The youngsters had been swimming at the Everyone Active sports centre in Vale Farm in Sudbury, Harrow, northwest London, when the alarm was raised.
Police have now cordoned off the centre while the incident is ongoing, with one police car and three ambulances having been pictured at the location.
The London Ambulance service has deployed its hazardous area response team to the area amidst fears the chlorine could have caused damage to the swimmers.
Roads have been closed around the centre and all swimmers have been evacuated from the area while emergency services continue making the site safe.
A spokesperson for Met Police said: ‘Police were called at 1:40pm on Thursday, August 29, to reports of a chlorine leak at a pool in Watford Road, Wembley.
‘Officers, the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade are in attendance.
‘The leisure centre has been evacuated as a precaution and road closures are in place.’
Chlorine is a chemical element commonly used in industry and found in some household products.
When chlorine gas comes into contact with moist tissues such as the eyes, throat, and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage these tissues.
Signs and symptoms vary depending on how the person was exposed, the amount of chlorine (mass), and the length of time of the exposure.
Some people with asthma or other chronic lung diseases may be more sensitive to breathing chlorine than others.
After a release of chlorine into the air, people can be exposed through skin or eye contact, or inhaling (breathing in) the chlorine gas.
Following release of chlorine into water, people can be exposed by touching or drinking water that contains chlorine.
Source: CDC
A London Ambulance Service special response unit was also seen at the scene, in images obtained by HarrowOnline.
A spokesperson for the ambulance service said: ‘We were called at 1.34pm today to reports of a chlorine leak on Watford Road, Wembley.
‘We sent a number of resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, incident response officers and members of our hazardous area response team (HART).
‘We treated nine children and two adults at the scene before taking them all to hospital.’
Chlorine gas can be recognized by its pungent, irritating odour, which is like the odour of bleach.
When chlorine gas comes into contact with moist tissues such as the eyes, throat, and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage these tissues.
Signs and symptoms vary depending on how the person was exposed, the amount of chlorine (mass), and the length of time of the exposure.
Some people with asthma or other chronic lung diseases may be more sensitive to breathing chlorine than others.
The location of the leak, Vale Farm Sports Centre, sits opposite Sudbury Primary School, and it has two pools from where it hosts award-winning swimming lessons.
The sports centre also describes itself as having a state-of-the-art 107-station gym, alongside a 36-station dedicated women’s only gym.
The site is operated on behalf of Brent London Borough Council by Sports and Leisure Management Ltd, which is longest-established leisure contractor in the UK, having been founded in 1987.
has contacted Sports and Leisure Management Ltd for comment.
The company currently operates 220 leisure and cultural centres across the UK in partnership with more than 60 different local authorities.