Chemical fire near station

FIREFIGHTERS battled to extinguish a chemical fire near a railway station.

Two fire engines from Havant attended the blaze at a signalling and control unit next to the railway station just before 11pm on Sunday night. Fire crews were alerted by staff at the train station after a smoke alarm was sounding.

‘Smoke was coming out of electrical equipment in the room,’ watch manager Ben Holt said.

‘We used two breathing apparatus and six carbon dioxide extinguishers to put out the fire. The room was full of chemical smoke and flames inside the unit.

‘Batteries in the power supply unit were giving off the smoke. It was hard to extinguish because it was deep seated and involved high voltage.’ The fire was put out three hours later at 2am.

A BOY was stopped by a group of teenagers before having his bike stolen on Saturday.

The boy was approached between 7.30am - 8.30am in Vicarage Lane, Fareham, by the youths on bicycles.

After taking his bicycle they then rode away with it, police said.

The bicycle is a blue and white Boardman, with white front forks and lights on the front and back.

‘Enquiries are ongoing to locate the group,’ a police statement said. ‘The group of teenagers were each male, around 15 to 19 years old and white. One was described as being around 5ft 11ins tall, of slim build and with short blonde hair. He was wearing a grey top. The second had black or dark brown hair, and the third is described as having ginger hair.’

There are no details of the fourth member of the group.

‘Officers are keen to speak with anyone who witnessed the incident, or who may have seen a group of four teenage boys cycling around the Vicarage Lane area,’ the statement added.

‘If you have any information, please call 101, quoting the reference 44210083983.’