Fifteen railway staff fall ill after finding ‘hazardous materials’ at busy train depot
FIFTEEN railway workers fell ill and were treated by paramedics after finding “hazardous materials” at a train depot today.
Some staff were said to have been feeling sick since Wednesday — 48 hours before the incident was reported to emergency services.
A source told The Sun that the depot operators “don’t know how staff have been affected by this or where it’s come from”.
British Transport Police and the London Fire Brigade attended the scene after being alerted shortly before 4pm.
Firefighters were said to be “responding to reports of an incident possibly involving hazardous materials”.
Engineers with minor symptoms were assessed by ambulance crews at the Stewarts Lane facility in Battersea, South West London.
Staff entering the depot for night shifts were briefed as they walked through the entrance gates.
The depot, run by Govia Thameslink Railway, is one of the biggest in central London and holds Southern and Gatwick Express rolling stock.
It also houses trains owned by luxury operator Pullman and a number of freight services.
A Govia Thameslink spokesman said: “A total of 15 engineers at our Stewarts Lane depot reported feeling unwell.
“As a precaution we called the emergency services. We are supporting our affected staff and this is not affecting our operations.”