Hundreds evacuated after 'chemical incident' at London sports centre

Hundreds of people were evacuated after a chemical incident at a London leisure centre on Wednesday evening.

Fifty people inside the Oasis Sports Centre and another 10 at The Craft Beer Co pub next door were forced to leave after "mixed chemicals" caused a bad reaction in the building.

Hundreds of workers in the office block above were also sent home during the incident.

In a statement, the London Fire Brigade said: "Firefighters are dealing with a chemical incident at a sports centre on Endell Street in Holborn. It appears that chemicals were mixed in the basement and let off fumes.

"Around 50 people from the sports centre and 10 people from a pub were evacuated. Hundreds of employees from the office block above the sports centre were sent home.

"Firefighters in gas tight suits are doing a sweep of the building and ventilating the basement.

"We are likely to be at the incident for a number of hours until no harmful chemicals are detected. The roads around the incident are very busy so please avoid if possible."

A statement on leisure centre operator Better's website said: "Due to a technical fault, Oasis Sports Centre is currently closed and will not reopen today.

"We will update the website with more information as soon as we have it so please keep checking for further details.

"We apologise for this inconvenience."

The sports centre is opposite the brand new show, The Illusionists: Direct from Broadway at the Shaftesbury Theatre.