What happened today at Queen's Hospital in Burton?

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The A & E department was closed around 2pm today. Credit: PA

The A & E department of Queen's Hospital in Burton-on Trent is back open after being closed to the public this afternoon as a precaution.

NHS bosses locked the unit down after four workers from a local factory turned up at the hospital, having come into contact with an 'unknown white powder'.

The substance was sent to a laboratory for analysis. According to fire officers who attended the hospital, it turned out to contain napthalene – an organic compound found in mothballs.

The four workers apparently got some of the white powder on their skin as they unloaded a trailer. The fire service said they had attended A&E with coughing fits.