TOXIC SHOCK (From Barry And District News)

TOXIC SHOCK

A CADOXTON woman set off a major chemical alert while trying to clean her new outdoor swimming pool.

Jenny Sharpe, of Hywel Crescent, had never cleaned the large portable pool before.

She decided to make herself useful while she was off work due to a torn tendon in her finger. But her efforts resulted in four fire engines, an ambulance, a police car and a paramedic being called to the scene at 12.30pm on Monday and a section of her street being sealed off.

In addition to causing chemical explosions, Jenny, who works in Tesco on Port Road, also managed to create a toxic gas cloud, which spread throughout her property causing her eyes to water and her lungs to burn.

An embarrassed Jenny said: "My husband Dave normally cleans the pool but I decided to do it on this occasion because I was off work sick.

"I mixed two different types of chlorine together - which you are not meant to do apparently - and I also added boiling water to the mixture instead of luke-warm water.

"Straight away I knew something wasn't right because the mixture started foaming up all over the carpet. I panicked and poured the mixture down the sink, which caused four loud explosions - I thought, oh my god what have I done."

Jenny opened all the doors and windows in her home and took refuge in the living room with her two husky dogs.

She then called her son Ross, who is trained in chemical warfare. He told her to get out of the house immediately and phoned his father Dave who raced home.

Dave, who also works in Tesco, said: "I went into the kitchen but within ten seconds I had to get out because I couldn't breathe. I dialled 999 and within minutes all three emergency services arrived and cordoned off the street."

He added: "Jenny and myself are both asthmatics so we were taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, but later we were transferred to Llandough Hospital.