Hastings Residents Affected by Major Gas Leak
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN
Emergency services evacuated residents from the Queens Apartments in Robertson Terrace, Hastings on 2 December after detecting dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in first-floor flats. The incident, traced to the Grand Pera Restaurant on the ground floor, led to sixteen people requiring medical attention and the declaration of a major incident.
The East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was alerted by the Southern Gas Network and responded to the restaurant just before 6.45pm. To facilitate the response, police closed the A259 seafront road.
Fire crews searched and evacuated sixteen flats on one side of the complex. Some required forced entry to confirm they were empty. Fourteen occupants were triaged by the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), which recommended hospital checks for all. Eight refused and remained on scene, while six were taken to Conquest Hospital for treatment. Due to the number of casualties and the impact on hospital resources, SECAmb declared a major incident at around 9pm.
The source was quickly identified as a diesel generator being used by the Grand Pera Restaurant. The generator was isolated, the property ventilated and the building was declared safe for residents to return by 10pm.
It was later revealed the restaurant had installed the generator in Harold Place to power refrigerators after its electricity supply was disconnected by E.on. The disconnection was due to the failure to pay an outstanding bill of over £66,000. The generator is understood to have been running continuously for three to five days prior to the incident.
Hastings Borough Council on-call officers assisted with the evacuation. With support from the Local Authority Emergency Planning Officer, rehousing plans were prepared but ultimately not required. The building’s managing agents secured the property and arranged to contact any absent residents who had been exposed, advising them to seek medical checks. Emergency services left the scene around midnight.
Sue Mitchell, owner of the nearby Pebble Beach Spa, was among those evacuated after being called to re-open her premises for the response effort. She was only allowed to return once CO levels normalised.
The Council’s environmental health team has announced an investigation. This comes after local residents claimed they had made numerous complaints to the department over the past six months regarding suspicious smells and other concerns since Grand Pera took over the tenancy, alleging they never received a response.
When approached by HIP, Hastings Borough Council stated it was “limited in what we can say because there’s an investigation on-going,” declining to comment on the number of complaints or prior inaction.
Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings, Rye and the villages, thanked the emergency services and said her thoughts were with affected residents. She welcomed the council’s investigation, stating any lessons must be learned, and urged everyone to ensure they have a working carbon monoxide alarm. “This invisible gas can be a silent killer without one,” she said.
The Grand Pera reopened last Friday (12 December) after an Environmental Health inspection. The electricity had been reinstated and the generator removed. The investigation into the carbon monoxide leak is ongoing.
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