Staff evacuated in Nestlé gas leak (From York Press)

Staff evacuated in hydrogen gas leak at Nestlé

9:26am Tuesday 31st January 2012 in News

A LEAKING gas canister led to the evacuation of part of the Nestlé factory in York while emergency services made the area safe.

Crews from North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service were called to a storage area at the far end of the Haxby Road site at 8.48am yesterday.

A Nestlé spokesman said 28 members of staff had been evacuated for about an hour. The incident was caused by a faulty valve which allowed hydrogen to leak from an 80-litre canister, close to the factory’s laboratory.

Emergency crews from York used gas detection equipment and breathing apparatus to check the site before allowing the hydrogen to escape safely in a controlled release.