A sports centre in Gidea Park was evacuated after a chemical leak this afternoon.
The London Fire Brigade said it received a call just before 12pm about a chlorine leak from the basement of the David Lloyd centre in Squirrels’ Heath Lane.
Three people went to hospital after the incident, and the site has now been declared safe.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said they received a call shortly after midday about reports of a chemical leak.
A duty officer and a hazardous area response team, which includes specially trained paramedics to deal with chemicals, were sent to the scene. Three people had already made their own way to hospital. No one was treated at the scene.
A spokesman from the fire brigade said: “There was a chemical leak in the basement of the building.
“Fire crews were investigating the scene using specialist equipment as it was a chemical incident.
“By the time we went in the gas had dispersed. We had to make sure the gas levels were low enough to be safe, by surveying the area and taking readings to make sure it was safe.”
Fire fighters returned to their stations around 3pm.
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