Mass evacuation after gas leak near the Union

Over 100 people had to leave their rooms at night


A gas leak near the Union meant more than a hundred freshers had to be evacuated last night.

The Union and surrounding halls were evacuated from the leak which was reported to be coming from Clarendon Road.

Music Fresher Benjamin Jackson was asked to leave his Lyddon Halls on Cromer Terrace due to the smell of gas.

He told the Tab “We could smell gas very strongly so we went outside and phone security who evacuated all the houses and took us to the Charles Morris foyer, there were around 100 people there.

“We were there for about 90 minutes hearing that the Edge was cordoned off and the Union had been evacuated too.

“They eventually told us it was coming from Clarendon road, the gas people said they had sorted it. Apparently they had to find a safe area around the leak first and then they fixed it.

“The smell was so strong we thought it must have been coming from inside our house. It still stank for ages after we were allowed back inside.”

A representative from the Union Helpdesk told the Tab: “There was a gas leak near the union and as a precautionary measure the union was closed last night from 10pm.

“It was confirmed that the gas was coming from somewhere on Clarendon Road, not inside the union.

“The union is open as normal today.”