A MAJOR UK seaside theme park is set to stage a major incident drill, simulating 6,500 people being exposed to dangerous chemicals.
More than 200 people and emergency vehicles are expected to take part in the exercise, which will test the park's response to the fictional scenario.
The drill will take place at Dreamland in Margate, Kent, later today.
The park will close for the duration of the test.
It will involve fire and rescue, police and ambulance teams, who will practice responding to a situation in which a large crowd were exposed to potentially harmful chemicals.
Brennan Ralls, the manager of Margate's fire crew, emphasised that the event is "purely an exercise" and urged the public not to be alarmed.
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He added: "This is a great opportunity to work together with our partners and colleagues, to ensure we are always prepared to respond to any emergency.
"We're likely to be at the venue for most of the day, so we'd like to reassure the public that this is purely an exercise and not to be alarmed by our presence."
The fire service, who organised the exercise, will largely be involved in the decontamination process, including building shower units and guiding the public through the procedure.
Dave Williams, the head of resilience and special operations with the South East Coast Ambulance Service, praised the drill as a "vital" opportunity" to "test and learn" its protocols.
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Dreamland Margate's head of operations, Shane Guy, added that his staff, management team and partners would all benefit from the "real-time training".
It comes after the conference centre at Alton Towers was evacuated after a suspected chemical leak earlier this year.
Meanwhile, a woman was left fearing for her life after delivery firm DHL sent her toxic chemicals by mistake.
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