HYDROCHLORIC acid escaped from a water pumping system at Holywell Mead Swimming Pool causing chaos for swimmers.

Firefighters dressed in protective chemical suits and equipped with breathing apparatus rushed to the scene on Thursday, June 16, to tackle the leak at the open air pool off Bassetsbury Lane, High Wycombe.

In total, 25 litres of dilute acid leaked from a high pressure pumping system. The spillage occurred in a shed, away from the pool itself.

Swimmers and staff were evacuated immediately. Nobody was injured although all staff were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. They were discharged the same day without suffering side effects.

A spokesman for the fire service said: "It was a high pressure leak in the pumping system itself.

"Hydrochloric acid is definitely not good to breathe in. It was in a dilute state so it was not as dangerous as perhaps it might have been.

"But we were taking it very seriously, we used breathing apparatus and chemical suits for protection."

Firefighters, using a specialist engine based at High Wycombe station, neutralised the acid with an alkaline, known as soda ash. The operation took about four hours.

A spokesman for Wycombe Leisure Limited said there was "less than ten people" using the pool at the time of the leak.

She said: "The fire service were routinely called to make the area safe. No public or staff were harmed and the pool reopened on Saturday."

The cause of the leak is still unknown. Wycombe Leisure Limited is currently investigating alongside Wycombe District Council.

Inspectors from the leisure company and council gave the pool the all clear last Friday.