Roads closed after chemical spill at brewery

A 150m cordon was put in place around a UK brewery, the home of Bombardier beer, this morning, following a chemical spill at the site.

The flagship beer in Charles Wells portfolio, Bombardier Beer

Several roads surrounding the Charles Wells Brewery in Bedford were closed following a spillage of hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride at the facility, according to reports by Bedfordshire News.

Firefighters were called to the scene at around 9.15am this morning following the incident which involved 200 litres of hydrochloric acid and 350 litres of sodium chlorite, said Chris Ball, group commander of Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

A spokesperson for Charles Wells said: “This morning we identified a minor leak of chlorine dioxide at the brewery which is used in the sterilisation of water. Thanks to the quick reactions of one of our staff we were able to act immediately, the fire service have joined us on site in Queens Park and cordoned off an area at the brewery as a precautionary measure while they conduct standard checks.

“We’d like to reassure our neighbours that there is no cause for concern, however to enable these checks to take place we have had to close access to the site temporarily. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank people for their cooperation”.

Hydrochloric acid can be used during the brewing process to adjust a brew’s residual alkalinity (RA), while sodium chloride is used to accentuate bitterness, enhance flavors and fullness.

Road closures have now been lifted.