Two dead after ‘chemical leak’ at a poultry factory

TWO men were found dead at a poultry factory after a suspected chemical leak.

The men, one said to be in his 30s and the other in his 40s, were working for a pest control company.

They were found near the poultry processing plant and last night there were fears they could have been killed by a leak of refrigeration gas near where they were working. No one else was injured in the incident at Banham Poultry in Attleborough, Norfolk. Police said they believed there was no threat to the wider public.

Emergency services were called to the factory at around 1.10am yesterday after the men were found dead.

A spokesman for the Eastern Ambulance Service said two ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, three hazardous area response teams and an air ambulance had been sent to the factory. ‘Despite the best efforts of all involved, two men died at the scene,’ he said.

Train operator Greater Anglia tweeted at around 7.30am that trains on their way to Cambridge would not be stopping at Attleborough station.

Banham Poultry is a family-owned business with more than 1,000 staff and is one of the biggest employers in mid-Norfolk, according to its website.

George Freeman, the Tory MP for Mid Norfolk, tweeted: ‘Terrible news this morning of two deaths from what is reported as an industrial chemical spill. Thoughts and prayers with all those affected.’

Police last night refused to comment on the cause of the tragedy.