Chemical scare in Antrim

A chemical spillage that put three people in hospital and caused the evacuation of a block of flats at a marina was being investigated today.

The three men were treated for breathing difficulties before being released after the spillage at Swift’s Quay beside the Carrickfergus Marina, Co Antrim, in Northern Ireland, which is surrounded by recently-built apartments and houses.

The agricultural chemicals involved in the spillage were believed to be a concentrate left over from the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.

Senior officials from Carrickfergus Borough Council, which owns the store where the chemicals were kept, were meeting today to discover what went wrong.

Council officials were seeking to find out why the potent chemical was still being kept in the store.

It was spilt in the store late yesterday afternoon and 45 residents were evacuated from the neighbouring apartment block as a precaution while firefighters wearing protective chemical clothing decontaminated the area.

The spillage was successfully contained in the store and the residents were allowed home several hours later.