'I went to keep healthy and ended up getting gassed': Spa members launch legal action after toxic chemical leak

Claim notifications have been sent to the Clifford Health Club and Spa on behalf of three former spa members.

Enid Hollingworth, from Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, was one of several people taken to hospital after a chemical leak, along with multiple other spa users.

The former hospital casualty receptionist previously described how she feared for her life after being exposed to a chlorine leak while using the swimming pool and spa.

The 71-year-old has spent the last four months recovering from a persistent cough after her lungs were exposed to toxic fumes, but she has now been left with a droopy eyelid and requires specialist corrective eye surgery at her local Queen’s Medical Centre University Hospital, Nottingham.

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Enid – a former lifetime member of the spa who paid £800 for her membership – said: “I went to the gym to keep healthy and ended up getting gassed. It’s terrifying, as now it has damaged my health instead of keeping me fit.

“The specialists say my damaged eyelid, which was leaking pus, is a direct result of my exposure. I think it's important for everybody to feel safe when they go for a swim, when they think they are doing something healthy.

“People are dealing with very dangerous chemicals. Chlorine is a very dangerous chemical, and I think it needs to be thoroughly looked into.

"It just can't be allowed to happen again to anyone else.

“This has really impacted my quality of life. I used to love going swimming and have been swimming all my life. I used to regularly do 50 lengths and kept myself very fit.

“But now the thought of smelling chlorine again fills me with dread, so I haven’t been near a pool since and don’t know when I will again. The gas was that strong it has now left me with a droopy eyelid, and I have to have surgery, which I am not looking forward to.

“Now we have taken legal action as we need answers on how and why this happened, and to stop something like it occurring again.”

Another 66-year-old spa member of five years' standing – the first person to be affected by the chemicals in January – had to flee the pool in her swimming costume and spent over 14 hours on oxygen.

As soon as she entered the pool, she says she swallowed chemical fumes and felt like she was suffocating.

She said: “The chemicals hit me instantly. I couldn’t breathe and just had to get out of there.”

She fled the club with red eyes and gasping for breath, and says staff failed to act, so she sought help at a nearby Bupa Dentists instead. They checked her oxygen levels, which were dangerously low, then hooked her up to an oxygen mask in one of their chairs while they waited for paramedics.

She added: “They went out of their way to help me. They laid me on a dentist’s chair and gave me oxygen. I am so grateful to them for what they did. I don’t know what I would have done if they hadn’t stepped in to help and the ambulance was delayed.”

Along with another swimmer from the club who was also hospitalised, the three have launched legal action for compensation against the club’s owners, Mark Clifford PT Limited.

The claims have been launched based on the club and its employees/contractors being ‘negligent and in breach of statutory duty’ under section two of the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.

The claim letters allege injuries ranging from severe shortness of breath to persistent coughs, with potential long-term damage or psychological injuries.

Lawyers will be requesting all records from Clifford’s Day Spa pertaining to health and safety, chemical incident training, staffing, and protocols.

Clifford Health Club and Spa said the leak in January occurred after staff failed to follow correct procedures.

It stated that there had been a build-up of dry chlorine in the pipework of a hydrotherapy pool, which was undergoing maintenance.

Last night, Associate Solicitor Ahmed Jarad of Express Solicitors, who has launched the legal claims against the health club, said: “We are taking action for breaching Health and Safety laws. These women were enjoying a peaceful day out at the club when their lives were turned upside down.

“Through no fault of their own, they were exposed to toxic chemicals which may have caused lasting damage to their health and could have potentially been life-threatening. Now they must live with the effects and are looking for answers as to why this happened.”

The owner of the gym, Mark Clifford, said internal investigations remain ongoing and it is "not therefore appropriate to provide any further comment."