Hotel apologises after chemical leak closure

A hotel has apologised after a chemical leak forced it to close.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called shortly before 08:00 BST on Sunday to Estelle Manor, near Eynsham, Oxfordshire.

It said a swimming pool cleaning chemical leaked, which "caused a reaction", with a plume seen rising from the building.

Specialists in hazardous materials were still at the site on Monday afternoon, extracting contaminated air out of the basement of the building and monitoring rooms and the surrounding area.

The Grade-II listed country club and hotel is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday.

The leak was discovered in the South Terrace swimming pool pump room.

Fire crews had to ventilate the area, and the Manor House building was evacuated during the operation.

Some guests and staff were checked over by medics but no injuries have been reported.

Those inconvenienced by the incident are expected to receive compensation.

A spokesperson from Estelle Manor said: "We want to apologise to our guests, members and neighbours for the disruption caused by yesterday’s incident.

"The fire service has been working hard to safely ventilate the South Terrace swimming pool pump room and we expect this process to be completed shortly.

We will be in touch with guests to compensate them for the inconvenience and look forward to opening as normal tomorrow."

The fire service said it sent two fire engines from Witney at first, followed by relief crews throughout the night and into Monday. They were joined by an incident support unit and hazardous material advisors.

Nearby residents were advised to shut their windows and doors until the plume dissipated.

An investigation into the cause is under way.

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