Two people were taken to hospital and five others were treated by paramedics for breathing problems after a “hazardous substances incident” at a Sainsbury’s store.
Emergency services were called to the West Midlands supermarket just before 10am on Friday after people began suffering respiratory problems. Some 150 customers and staff were evacuated from the store, in Longbridge, south west of Birmingham, while people were cleared from the surrounding area.
The police urged anyone nearby who was feeling unwell to seek medical advice. A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “Sainsburys and other nearby buildings were evacuated after several people inside the supermarket experienced respiratory problems. A total of seven patients were assessed by the ambulance service after displaying minor respiratory problems.
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“Two women received treatment on scene before being conveyed by ambulance, in a stable condition, to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for further checks. The remaining five patients were later discharged on scene. A number of other people at the scene, who were described as ‘worried but well’, received advice from the team of ambulance staff.”
West Midlands Fire Service, which described the event on its website as a “hazardous substances incident”, had deployed “air monitoring equipment” to try to establish the cause. But Birmingham Live reported that tests on the air inside the store have showed 'nothing unusual'.
A spokesperson said: “Specialist teams have gone back in to Sainsbury’s to carry out further tests, however they have downed their respiratory protection after further air tests showed nothing unusual. The road will reopen and our scene has been reduced to Sainsbury’s only while we conduct further investigations.”
The police cordon has since been brought down but Sainsbury's will remain closed, while other shops will reopen.
