Fourteen treated after 'chemical smell' at Farringdon station


Emergency services were called to a suspected gas leak earlier after passengers reported feeling unwell - Image © Luke Wooding

Fourteen Elizabeth line passengers have received medical treatment – and two have been taken to hospital – after a "smell of chemicals" was reported on a platform at London's Farringdon station.

The station was evacuated and closed but reopened at 11:35 BST after London Fire Brigade (LFB) checked the area and found no elevated readings for any chemical substances.

The British Transport Police (BTP) initially said the closure was due to a "suspected gas leak".

Emergency services were called to the scene, including armed police officers.

The Elizabeth line is now running with severe delays, Transport for London said.

LFB said: "Crews attended and carried out a sweep of the area to check for no elevated readings of any chemical substances. No elevated readings were detected. Fourteen people were treated at the scene with two of those people taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service as a precaution."

Two fire engines, two fire rescue units and specialist officers were deployed and the scene was declared safe by 11:35, the brigade added.

BTP said it believed a "small number of people potentially came into contact with an unknown substance". It said armed police attended the scene as part of the response by the emergency services, which is "typical during a significant incident and should not cause undue concern to the public in this case".