POSTAL workers from Hatfield are being treated for possible contamination with anthrax after coming into contact with the contents of a suspicious package at the town's sorting office on Wednesday, October 17.

Six Hatfield postal staff, all men in their 40's and 50's, were treated at the scene in The Common by a special decontamination unit from the London Ambulance Service before being taken to the QEII Hospital for checks at 9.30am.

A spokesman for the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said the men were treated at the A and E department at the hospital as a "precaution" after coming into contact with an "unknown substance which may have contained anthrax spores".

The men have all been issued with antibiotics, which they will take for the next 72 hours until it is know whether the substance has tested positive for anthrax.

The spokesman said: "If the test is negative they will be taken off the antibiotics.

"However, if it is positive for anthrax they will continue to take the antibiotics for a further 60 days."

All six men were discharged from the hospital the same day.

The alert saw Hatfield town centre closed for several hours on Wednesday while a specialist team from the Metropolitan Police removed the substance for testing at laboratories at Porton Down in Wiltshire.

Postal sorting staff alerted police when they found the package at the Consignia building at around 1am and the sorting office was evacuated at 2am.

Firefighters were called to assist with the decontamination at 4.30am.

A police spokesman said: "Given the current tensions and in the interests of public safety, the police have decided to cordon off the area until the contents of the package can be identified."

The whole of The Common, and parts of Wellfield Road and Lemsford Road, were initially sealed off, and part of the area was still closed as market-goers crowded the town centre at 11am.

Several instances of anthrax powder sent through the post have been identified in the USA in the past few days, and one person has died.

A Consignia spokesman said: "We have been on a heightened state of alert since September 11. Advice is constantly being taken from the Government and local police and at the moment there is no cause for concern.

"Beyond this we cannot comment further for obvious reasons."

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said: "Community safety is our biggest priority in these times of heightened tension. The package has been taken away for examination and that will take a couple of hours, but there is nothing to suggest it is anthrax."

Callers were turned away from the Job Centre, Lister House Surgery and Lloyds Pharmacy close to the sorting office, but the flats backing onto The Common remained occupied yesterday.

The closure of the sorting office caused suspension of deliveries to postal areas AL9 and AL10, covering Hatfield, Essendon and surrounding villages.

October 18, 2001 18:37

Alex Lewis