A fire alarm sparked chaotic scenes at Stansted Airport today as throngs of holidaymakers were forced to evacuate the terminal.
Pictures posted on social media show large crowds of bewildered passengers outside the departures building carrying or pushing along their luggage.
A spokesman for Britain’s fourth-busiest airport said the check-in area was evacuated “under normal procedures” after a fire alarm in the departures area went off.
The fire brigade is understood to have attended after the incident occurred today.
After checks were made the alert was stood down at 12.30pm and worried passengers were allowed to re-enter the building hoping to catch their flights.
As the incident unfolded, a passenger named Harry wrote on Twitter that it was the “worst fire evacuation” he has ever seen with “staff panicking, not enough exits for everyone to leave from, no direction from staff.”
The Mirror reports added: “Hopefully you can bring this up in your management meeting on Monday.”
Another evacuated passenger on Twitter wrote: “So, mass evacuation at #Stansted. Fire alarms going off. General pandemonium. Guess that’s me missing my flight.”
A spokesman for Stansted Airport said: “There was a fire alarm detection in Landside departures. The check in area was evacuated under normal procedures and is imminently going to be stood down with operation going back to normal.”
People hoping to get away this weekend already faced disruption as thousands of railway workers went on strike as part of a long-running industrial dispute.
Services affected included the Stansted Express, operating in the Great Anglia Service, as well as the Heathrow Express.
People have been warned to check before using rail services across the country today, because trains will start later and finish much earlier than usual.
Only around half the number of trains will run in certain areas, while other places may have none at all – and services on some lines may be affected until Sunday morning.
It comes as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, including station staff and train managers, walk out in a row over pay, jobs and conditions.
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said the strike will disrupt the plans of families during the summer holidays.
They said: “This will lead to disappointment, frustration and financial strain for tens of thousands of people. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and understand the impact on individuals and businesses.
“Our advice is to check before you travel.”
The affected train operators are; Avanti West Coast, c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Heathrow Express, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, Southeastern, Southern, South Western Railway (including Island Line), Thameslink, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Railway.
