Chemicals spilled above hospital theatre

A CHEMICAL leak at a Suffolk hospital happened above the operating theatres, fire fighters have revealed today.

Specialist fire teams were sent to the BMI Bury St Edmunds Hospital in St Mary's Square shortly after 9pm last night after four gallons of a liquid, thought to be sodium bisulphite.

Eight fire fighters wearing gas-tight suits were sent in to clear up the spillage which covered a floor area of 2m by 4m.

A fire service spokesman today told how saw dust was used to absorb the chemical which had been spilt above the hospital's theatres.

Three crews from Bury St Edmunds, one from Newmarket and one from Haverhill were dispatched to the scene and, as well as the specialist chemical suits, 10 fire fighters used specialist breathing equipment for safety reasons.

The hospital, formerly known as the Nuffield Hospital, was acquired by BMI this year. The firm, which began life in the UK as the US-based business AMI, now has nearly 60 hospitals across the country.

The Bury hospital has 31 beds en-suite facilities, satellite television and a telephone. Consultants there undertake a range of procedures from routine investigations to complicated surgery.