Waterworld: Stoke-on-Trent park calls 999 response an 'over-reaction'

A water park has accused emergency services of "over-reacting" amid an evacuation that saw two people taken to hospital and 46 treated by paramedics.

Visitors to Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent reported feeling unwell on Wednesday afternoon.

Complaints included nausea and itchy skin and eyes.

But the venue said 999 crews' response had been "completely blown out of proportion".

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it had been a "well-managed" operation by emergency services.

Waterworld remained closed on Thursday "as a matter of precaution", the park said.

Visitors reported feeling unwell, listing irritated throats among the symptoms, just before 14:00 BST, leading to the evacuation of 110 people, the ambulance service said on Wednesday.

As well as paramedics, it deployed its hazardous area response team and the Midlands Air Ambulance. A man and woman were taken to hospital for checks.

According to the venue, however, such a response was flawed.

"The huge over-reaction from emergency services was incredibly distressing for our customers and our staff," the park said in a statement.

"We had received a small number of reports from customers about irritation to their eyes and throat, and were dealing with the situation.

"At no time was there any need for the emergency services to be called."

Nikki Anderson, whose husband and four-year-old son were at the park on Wednesday, told BBC Radio Stoke she felt a mixture of anger and upset over the park's comments.

She said her family were directed to A&E that evening after attending a local medical centre.

Her husband "couldn't stop sneezing and my son had red eyes", she explained. The boy, she added, was treated for potential chlorine poisoning.

Adam Gratton, at the scene for BBC Radio Stoke, said visitors had reported a smell of chlorine so overpowering that people were retching.

Ms Anderson, from The Wirral, said: "Probably one of the most distressing things for me is that while we were there, there was another family admitted who had been in the water park and they'd been evacuated.

"There was a pre-school boy and his sister, who was a few years older, and they were really, really struggling. They were coughing continuously, struggling to catch their breath, coughing so much they were being sick."

As to the park's statement, she said: "They seem to say that this was nothing of significance, when actually as a family we've had a really distressing 24 hours - it's really upsetting.

"If they're saying there's nothing they can find they need to investigate further because obviously something happened to make all of these children so poorly."

Waterworld said tests had so far not shown any harmful substances in the water, with air samples showing normal levels of chlorine gas.

The ambulance service said it had nothing to add to its statement of Wednesday, which said: "This was a well-managed, tri-service response which saw the safe and speedy evacuation of a large number of people.

"Thankfully no one involved was in a serious condition."

An investigation to determine the cause of the incident was continuing, a spokesperson added.

Georgina Middleton was at the leisure centre when it was evacuated and said: "Everyone was coming out with coughs and sneezes and itchy skin, so they took everyone out and checked them over.

"I'm OK, I've just got a bit of a cough and a sneeze myself and I feel a bit dizzy."

Mike Roberts, from Chester, said his wife and two sons were among those evacuated.

"Staff were being sick, people had burning eyes," he said.

"My wife pulled the boys out of the pool and when she got outside she saw emergency services.

"They [were] checked over by paramedics and my son was asked if he wanted to go to hospital."

He added while he had been "very concerned", his family was "ok".

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]