A LEISURE centre was evacuated after a ‘potentially serious’ chemical leak forced it to close for more than two hours.

Firefighters in chemical suits entered Bicester Leisure Centre in Queens Avenue after a chlorine alarm was triggered at 6.56am.

About 20 people using the centre and staff members were told to leave and moved to a neighbouring school.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue said crews wearing gas tight chemical suits entered the building, working with a specialist hazmat officer, to locate and isolate the leak.

Oxford Mail:

Firefighters put on chemical 'hazmat' suits before going inside - pic. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue

Firefighters ventilated the centre to bring the readings to a safe level, allowing the centre to be reopened at about 9am.

A spokesman for the leisure centre confirmed that the chlorine Gas alarm was activated following the detection of trace gas in the spa plant room area.

The spokesman continued: "The alarm is a safety device fitted to detect the presence of chlorine gas, which can result if different water treatment chemicals come into contact.

"Upon the alarm sounding, the centre was swiftly evacuated in accordance with the emergency procedures and the fire brigade called. Once the source was identified and isolated, the centre was reopened within a few hours."

It is not yet known what caused the leak, or if anyone was affected by the chlorine, though the fire service say the incident was dealt with ‘quickly and safely’.

Incident commander, crew manager Pete Mackay from Bicester Fire Station said: “This incident demonstrates the importance of well-rehearsed plans being put in to place by the centre staff to keep everyone safe, which coupled with our ability to enter with specialist equipment enabled them to be back up and running very quickly.

“We were able to work closely with the staff to ensure that a potentially serious incident was quickly and safely resolved.”

Were you in the leisure centre when the alarm went off? Get in touch here