Staff and gym members had to be evacuated from a Solihull health club after a poisonous gas leak.
One worker at the Virgin Active health club in Blythe Valley Park went to hospital after a chlorine leak at the club’s indoor pool.
Emergency services were called out to the club just before 10pm on Wednesday, to find club members and staff waiting outside in the cold.
It was claimed they were outside for more than an hour - many in just their swimming clothes - before it was safe to go back in.
Marketing manager Matthew Wright had just got out of the pool when the alarm went off. He said: “A lot of people were coming out of the pool or in the jacuzzi when the alarm went off and they were ordered out.
“There were a lot of people there at the time that had to be evacuated, but I think most of them were probably dressed and just went straight home.”
Staff handed out foil jackets to the half-dozen people who had to wait outside without their clothes while emergency services dealt with the incident.
One worker at the club was treated by paramedics for eye irritation. He later went to hospital for a further check up.
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said it had responded to an automatic alarm from the club after the chemical leak.
“When we arrived we found the gym had been evacuated as a precaution,” he said.
Chlorine gas is toxic and an irritant, and can be fatal in large enough doses. The health club said it did not want to comment.
