Woo Seung Shin owner of the Royal Victoria Hotel

St Leonards ‘chemical shutdown’: word on the street

The ‘chemical shutdown’ in sleepy St Leonards was competing in the national news cycle with the closure of Heathrow Airport this week. The story was covered by the BBC, Guardian, Independent, Metro and Sky News. But what’s the word on the street? Local reporter Dee Williams brings you the latest news and speculation. 

It’s not every day that national news arrives on your doorstep and keen to get a local perspective I took a Sunday morning stroll along the Marina. As articulated lorries manoeuvred around the tight turnings behind the Royal Victoria Hotel, there was a calm quiet on the seafront, broken only by the occasional screech of a seagull. One resident leaving his accommodation in the outer zone, told me that he had enjoyed the silence and listening to the murmur of the waves. He rather hoped that the road would be closed for longer.

I stopped at the Royal Victoria Hotel expecting to see the evacuees emerging from breakfast. I soon discovered that most of them had returned to their homes on Saturday after getting the all-clear at 10:30 pm.  Those with dogs had been allowed to bring them but any other pets had to fend for themselves. Nobody knew how long the emergency would last when those closest to the chemical find were told to make their way to the hotel on Thursday evening.

Syed Raza taxi driver evacuated with his family from the cordon zone

Syed Raza, a local taxi driver, told me that he saw a cordon across the A259 when he left for work at 5:00 pm on Thursday 20 March. By the time he came home at 10:00 pm, he was not allowed back into the zone which now stretched from the end of Filsham Road to the entrance of St Leonards Parish Church. His family was still in the flat but he was not allowed to return to help them evacuate. A worrying time.

Woo Seung Shin, the owner of the Royal Victoria Hotel, was contacted by Hastings Borough Council on Thursday evening with a request to make the hotel a designated ‘rest centre’.  He was happy to oblige. “I am delighted to help at all times,” he told me, “I am here to serve the community.”  Three rooms were made available to HBC staff who diligently coordinated the evacuation until late Saturday evening.

The hotel provided accommodation for two nights with breakfast and dinner on Friday evening. The owner explained that by Saturday many of the local guests had to leave as the hotel was fully booked for visitors arriving for the half-marathon event. There was much disruption as overseas guests arrived to find that the event had been cancelled early Saturday evening.

The Dieussaert family from Belgium

I met the Dieussaert family from Hastings’ twin town Oudenaarde in Belgium who were planning to take part. The children were looking forward to running in the children’s race for the first time. Physically prepared, their dad took them out to complete the mini-run in the morning and then the family set off to enjoy a walk on West Hill and a trip to the museum with the chair of Hastings Oudenaarde Twinning, Brian Pope. Time spent with friends is never wasted.

I popped into Goodmans, the barber and coffee shop close to the hotel, and spoke with Cameron. She told me that last year the half-marathon had been their busiest day of the year and they had stocked up on cakes and protein snacks in anticipation. Do go in a grab a coffee and cake over the next few days if you are passing, to help them out.

Nearly a year ago the Southern Water switch-off damaged trade when many businesses were left without water over the May bank holiday weekend. Our largely independent traders don’t have the same financial reserves as the national chain stores and get hit hard by such unexpected events.

Screens around the chemical find location

Nobody I spoke to seemed to know what was actually going on behind the screens in the no-go zone. There was plenty of rumour and speculation though. It would seem that the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team took control. The police were very tight-lipped when asked direct questions, either not knowing or not telling.

Those manning the barriers 24 hours couldn’t tell me when the cordon would finally be lifted though it was expected to be later that day. One source informed me that the explosives were discovered following a tip-off from the 28-year-old Cambridge graduate’s workplace. They noticed chemicals going missing and contacted the police who went to investigate. This claim is currently unsubstantiated.

The word on the street was a mixed bag in the end. Some enjoyed the peace and quiet and wanted it to continue, while others couldn’t wait for the barriers to come down. Some were benefiting from the overtime and were happy to sit it out, while others lost money due to low footfall. Many of the marathon runners either completed the route as planned or ran the equivalent distance in other local areas such as Rye. That’s the spirit. Stay calm and carry on – St Leonards-on-Sea style.

Statement from Hayley Luck of Hastings Lions on behalf of Nice Work, the Hastings Half Marathon event organisers.

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