UK Coca-Cola plant evacuates 200 workers due to hydrochloric acid leak

An acid leak in a southeast London Coca-Cola plant resulted in the evacuation of 200 workers overnight on Wednesday according to a statement by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) on Thursday.

The Coca-Cola spokesperson issued a statement regarding the incident and noted, "We would like to thank the emergency services for their swift response and support, and would like to apologize to local residents for any disruption caused overnight,” adding that the evacuation was merely a "precautionary measure". 
 
According to the LFB, the brigade was called in for a "leak of hydrochloric acid at 20:39 on Wednesday evening." The workers at the factory were evacuated prior to the arrival of the LFB. Once on scene, the LFB statement explained that the fire brigade "used chemical equipment to test the levels of chemicals in the area and worked on site to disperse it."

Furthermore, the statement emphasized that "the leak was isolated at approximately 23:30 and we remained on scene throughout the night doing checks before we left. The incident is now over. There was no evacuation of residents, and no-one was treated by emergency services. We are not aware of any advice to close windows and doors."

It is worth noting that the Sidcup factory is one of six manufacturers of Coca-Cola in the UK.

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