Handyman sacked for ‘inadvertently’ flooding pool and gym with mustard gas

Mustard gas is a blistering agent that maims the body (Picture: University of Hertfordshire International College)

A university swimming pool and gym had to be evacuated after a handyman accidentally made a gas used in warfare, a tribunal found.

Anthony Brown was asked to top up chemicals and test pool water at the University of Hertfordshire when the incident occurred in October 2024.

While doing this, he ‘wedged open’ the chlorine tap with a piece of wood before answering the phone and stepping out.

When he returned, he discovered the tank had...