CHILDREN were rushed to hospital after a water park fountain sprayed chlorine in their faces.

Four youngsters were treated by staff at Canvey Stay and Splash at The Paddocks, Long Road, Canvey on Sunday.

Two girls were then taken to Basildon Hospital to have their eyes washed.

Sammie Hart, 25, from Westcliff went to the park with her daughter, Summer Smith, eight, and her 16-month-old son, her friend and her daughter.

Miss Hart said: “Suddenly the girls came running over screaming and scratching their eyes.

“Staff used about 30ml of saline solution to wash my daughter’s eyes.

“We called NHS 111 and were advised to make a doctors appointment, but then noticed my friend’s T-shirt had orange patches where her daughter wiped her eyes, just like bleach would do.

“We went to A&E at Basildon Hospital and nurses used about 500ml of saline solution for each eye on the girls.

“My daughter was screaming, as if she was possessed when the nurses washed her eyes.

“I’d never seen her like it before.

“The girls were both put on antibiotic eye drops and my daughter is traumatised.”

A spokesman for the park, posting on its Facebook page, said: “We had a problem with our water fountain where four children received an above normal amount of chlorine in their faces as soon as it was turned on. 

“Investigations are ongoing and the fountain has been disconnected until our investigation is completed.”

Yesterday a spokesman for the park claimed a fault had been located and the fountain turned off.

He added: “It looks like a small fault somewhere in the pipe work that allowed a small amount of chlorine to enter the water in the fountain.

“The good news is we have isolated the fountain and everything else is working fine.

“All safety procedures were followed.”