M&S staff hospitalised after carbon monoxide leak at London store

Eleven members of staff at a Marks and Spencer store in south-east London were taken to hospital yesterday (Tuesday 16 December) after being exposed to carbon monoxide.

Firefighters were called to the retailer’s branch on Gallions Road in Charlton shortly after 08:30am, following reports of a suspected gas leak. 

The incident report from the London Fire Brigade stated that crews wearing breathing apparatus carried out a sweep of the building and found elevated readings of carbon monoxide.

Around 35 staff had already left the store before emergency services arrived. Paramedics, incident response officers and a hazardous area response team treated staff at the scene, with 11 people taken to hospital as a precaution. No customers were affected and none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.

According to the London Fire Brigade, it had ventilated the building and carried out further checks to ensure there were no remaining elevated gas levels. 

Two fire engines and two fire rescue units were sent to the scene, and the incident was concluded for firefighters at about 13:50pm.

A spokesperson for M&S said: “Our Charlton store is temporarily closed following the incident yesterday. It will re-open later today.”