Bomb squad seals off street over fears of ‘unsafe chemicals’ after man covered in mystery substance taken to hospital
BOMB squads have been sent in to seal off a street over fears of a leak of "unsafe chemicals".
Cops urged the public to stay away after a man was found in a property in Stoke-on-Trent, , covered in an "unknown substance" and rushed to hospital.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at around 7am this morning after receiving reports that the man needed "urgent medical attention".
He remains in a stable condition, cops confirmed.
Part of the road was cordoned off while some surrounding homes were evacuated as a "precaution".
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: "The man, aged in his 40s, was found to be covered in an unknown substance and so colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service attended to provide specialist support to the individual and to ensure the substance was no risk to members of the public.
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"Following further investigation, it is believed that a property on Abbotts Road could contain a mixture of unsafe chemicals.
"To ensure the safety of the local community, colleagues from the British Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team have been called in to complete a specialist search of the address."
Superintendent Victoria Downing added that the response was to an "isolated incident" and that there was "no risk" to the public.
It comes after guests were evacuated from the conference centre at Alton Towers over a suspected chemical leak in January.
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Meanwhile, Watford General Hospital was swarmed by fire crews that same month after a chemical spill produced noxious fumes.