lcox@thekmgroup.co.uk

Two barmaids were taken to hospital when a social club was evacuated after a chemical leak.

Firefighters were called to Warren Wood Social Club, in Rochester, after a cooling system in the cellar malfunctioned.

A woman aged 19 and another in her 40s were taken by ambulance to Medway Maritime Hospital when they complained of feeling unwell after breathing in fumes.

Staff at the club, in Warren Wood Road, evacuated the bars and called the emergency services at about 12.40pm yesterday.

Crews from Medway and Strood fire stations as well as an incident support unit sealed off the area while they investigated the leak in a cooling system used to keep beer cold.

After throwing a cordon around the venue, firefighters used breathing apparatus to enter the cellar and switched off the appliance.

They used pressure ventilators to clear the area of fumes, but it was more than two hours before drinkers were allowed back inside.

Incident commander John Mclean, from Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The two women were complaining of feeling unwell so were taken to hospital as a precaution.

"Firefighters who are trained to deal with such incidents were sent in with breathing apparatus to identify where the chemicals were coming from.

"The beer cooler in the cellar either had a mechanical or electrical malfunction and leaked fumes.

"As it was in a confined area, the fumes built up and the staff told us when they called, there was a strong smell coming from the area.

"After we identified where it was coming from, we used our pressure ventilators to clear the air.

"We’ve removed the cooler and once we tested the levels and found they were OK, we were able to let staff and customers back inside as we had deemed it as safe."